Marcocrushed
by Jack Coffison
Summary: Follow up to 'My Dinner with Buff Frog'. Post 'Monster Bash'. Marco's feelings are tearing him apart, and now more than ever... He needs his friends.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Nightmares and Goblin Dogs

Marco awoke in a cold sweat. He was still trembling as he slowly sat himself up and buried his head in his hands. After taking a few deep breaths, the trembling slowly receded.

Marco groaned. He was drenched with sweat, and his head was pulsing with pain. As he slowly peeled himself out of bed, he grimaced at the brightness of the Mewni sun. Marco slowly shuffled his way toward his bedroom window and closed the curtains.

'...What... ...What time is it?' he wondered, as he wiped at the river of sweat pouring down his face. 'Oh, yeah... River broke my alarm clock... He thought it was some kind of monster or something... And then... Glossaryk tried to eat my second one... What-... What happened to the third one? ...Oh, right... It exploded. I should've known that buying one from Quest Buy was a bad idea...'

Marco breathed a heavy sigh as he made his way toward his wardrobe to retrieve a fresh pair of clothes.

'...Since nobody bothered to wake me, I guess that means Star doesn't need me today...' he thought. Marco grimaced as he felt a familiar knot in his stomach. As he pulled out a fresh new hoodie, he felt a tremble in his hand. He had been having a lot of nightmares recently, and they all seemed to follow a similar theme.

They were also getting worse. And all Marco could think to do about it was try to ignore it.

Marco took a deep breath and shook his head. 'Let's... Let's try some happy thoughts... Like-... Uh... I wonder what they're serving for lunch today at the dining hall...'

Marco's stomach grumbled at the thought.

'Yeah... That... That might be nice.' he thought. 'But first... I'd better take a shower and stuff... I just hope River didn't clog the drain again... Or eat my shampoo... Or my toothbrush... Or my loofah... Hmm- Maybe I should stop keeping stuff in the bathroom...'

As he left his room, Marco could already feel some familiar thoughts and feelings creeping back to the surface. 'Nope- You're not gonna win, brain. Today is going to be a good day. And I'm not going to let you ruin it.'

Unfortunately for Marco, trying to think happy thoughts always seemed to do nothing but tempt fate.

* * *

"For the last time... I'm afraid you are simply not allowed to enter the royal dining chamber. No matter who's squire you _claim_ to be."

Marco grit his teeth.

He had already suffered through an ice-cold shower in the Squire's quarters because the royal showers were mysteriously 'unavailable'. And once he had gotten out, he had found his change of clothes replaced with a clown costume along with a particularly unkind note from the other squire's. After making his way back to his room in a puffy clown costume and getting changed again, he managed to stub his toe on his desk and then fall on to a cactus. After spending some time pulling several needles out of his back, he finally made his way down to the dining hall where he usually ate with Star and her parents- only to be stopped at the doorway by a heavily armored royal guard.

"Look- I know Star isn't here with me like she usually is... But you've got to remember my face by now! It's been weeks!" exclaimed Marco.

The royal guard huffed. "I do not have to remember any face other than the ones I serve! And _you_ have no right to refer to the Princess by name, _peasant_. I don't know what childish game you think you're playing, but I have dedicated my life to protecting this sacred, _beautiful_ place from the likes of _you_." he growled.

Marco blinked. "You mean... The _dining_ hall? I mean, it's pretty and all but-" he muttered.

"Yes, the dining hall! This is the single most important place of them all! More important than the laundry, the bathroom, or even the throne room! This is the room where our beloved royalty sits down to feast upon the finest meals Mewman kind has to offer!" exclaimed the royal guard. "It is a den for the sacred! A refuge for those that stand above all others! Plus- it's also super expensive! Like, super _duper_. And amazing, too! The Mew-Goose is cooked to absolute perfection, and all the cereal is served with the freshest Yelzak milk!"

Marco's stomach gave a frustrated growl as the royal guard launched into a long-winded speech about all of the different foods that were served in the dining hall. As the guard began to passionately rant and rave about the wonders of the dining room chairs, Marco simply turned around and walked away. He was in no mood to deal with another member of the Mewni Kingdoms unstable staff.

As he made his way down the hall, his stomach continued to grumble. Quickly compounding his already sour mood. Doing his best to ignore the sounds coming from his stomach, Marco tried to force himself to think about something else.

'...Star's probably hanging out with Tom again..'

Marco immediately felt a tight pain in his chest and scowled. 'Really, brain? Straight away, you go _there_? What's _wrong_ with you?' he thought.

Marco shook his head. 'Just... Try to think about... Not _that_... Something else... Like... What am I going to do today? ...Let's see... I guess maybe I could just go back to my room and train... I still have Sensei's old VHS player along with all of those Karate tapes...' he thought. 'Or... Maybe I should get back to studying Mewnian writing... If I keep it up, I think I'll be able to do the crossword puzzle in the Mewni Times...'

Marco paused for a moment as his stomach whined for his attention once more. It was no surprise that it was so insistent. He had already skipped dinner the night before and slept through breakfast.

Marco sighed. "...I don't think I'm gonna be able to wait for dinner..." he muttered. "...Maybe I should just try and sneak into the Royal kitchen... Hmm- Something tells me I'd just wind up being chased by a bunch of angry cooks and crazy ingredients... I guess I could... Try stopping by on Earth... Maybe... Get a burrito..."

Marco felt a painful twinge in his chest. He hadn't visited Earth at all since he left. In fact, he had been avoiding doing so at all costs.

Once again, Marco bit down on another swell of painful emotions.

"Maybe... Maybe I'll just try the Goblin Dog truck..." he muttered.

With a mildly discontent sigh, Marco pulled his dimensional scissors out of his pocket and opened a portal. As he stepped through it, he felt a familiar tingle run through his entire body. And, in an instant- Marco found himself standing in the middle of an enormous desert terrain, decorated with enormous rock formations and a few sickly looking trees.

For a split second, everything looked peaceful. And then, very quickly, Marco was forced to cover his ears and cringe as the Goblin Dog jingle filled the air at such a colossal volume that the ground was trembling under his feet.

"ROY!" bellowed Marco, as he quickly approached the Goblin Dog truck. "ROOOY!"

A tiny goblin wearing a nametag that read 'Roy' was standing inside the food truck with his face down on the counter. Marco grit his teeth, as he nudged the small goblin with his elbow. "ROY! TURN IT DOWN! YOU'RE GOING TO CAUSE AN EARTHQUAKE! OR- WELL... MAYBE NOT- BUT YOU'LL RUIN YOUR SPEAKERS! AND MY _EARS_!"

Upon noticing Marco's presence, Roy let out a heavy sigh as he propped his head up on a napkin dispenser. Breathing another heavy sigh, Roy slowly reached over and flipped a tiny switch on the wall beside him. All of a sudden, the deafening jingle came to a stop.

"...You need to go back to the end of the line..." muttered Roy.

Marco blinked and turned to look at him. There were three creatures standing in line behind him. At the end of the line was a large slug man with a shirt that read 'If You Can See This, I Love You'. In the middle of the line was a somewhat familiar looking big chicken wearing a bib with a picture of a goblin dog and a pink heart on it, and at the front of the line stood a tall squirrel girl wearing a black leather jacket with a skull and crossbones on it. All three of them were wearing enormous headphones and appeared completely dazed as they stood in place, swaying from side to side.

"Uh... Are those people okay?" asked Marco.

"I said- ...Get to the back of the line!" bellowed Roy.

All of a sudden, the squirrel girl standing behind Marco snapped out of her stupor. "H-hey! Are you... Are you cutting in line!? Line cutter! I've been waiting for-... I don't even remember anymore!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not trying to cut in line! I just wanted to-"

"I don't wanna hear any excuses, line cutter! It's people like you that perpetuate the constant, overwhelming cruelness of existence!" exclaimed the squirrel girl.

"I'm not trying to perpetuate anything! I was just-" Marco began, only to be interrupted once more. This time by some angry squawking from the big chicken, and some slurred, lazy words from the slug man. Marco sighed as everyone shot him dirty looks.

Ignoring the loud hissing and cries of 'line-cutter' from the creatures in line, Marco cleared his throat. "Roy..." he muttered. "What'll it take for you to keep the music turned _off_?"

Roy gave a lazy sigh and moved his head just enough to meet Marco's gaze. After staring each other down for a little while, Roy slowly gestured toward a jar with the words 'Tips' scrawled across it, along with several badly drawn dollar signs.

Marco sighed as he rummaged through his pockets until he finally retrieved his wallet. Without saying anything, Marco pulled out a few bills and stuffed them into the jar. Roy gave a happy snort- which was quickly followed by another long sigh.

"...Thank you. Now- back of the liiiine..." muttered Roy.

The creatures standing in line all watched this happen with a mixture of shock and horror. "Y-you mean... We... We only had to _tip_ you?" muttered the squirrel girl, her eyes twitching slightly as she spoke.

Roy simply gave a tired shrug.

As Marco walked past, the squirrel girl suddenly stopped him with her tail. Marco blinked as the squirrel girl looked at him with tears forming in her eyes. "I-... ...Thank you. Thank you so much..." she said, her voice quivering with emotion.

"Uh... Sure. No problem." muttered Marco, as he buried his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. As he made his way to the back of the line, he couldn't help but notice the glaring lack of a crowd. Such a short line was completely unheard of- especially during lunch hour. 'I wonder if somethings going on...' thought Marco. 'I hope Roy hasn't just decided to spend the day messing with his customers... _Again_...'

Time seemed to pass very slowly as Marco waited in line. It didn't help that Roy was apparently committed to doing his job in super slow motion. Eventually, the squirrel girl scurried away- holding her Goblin Dog as if it were her most prized possession. The big chicken simply swallowed it's Goblin Dogs whole and left an egg on the counter as payment. Roy didn't seem to notice or care, as he simply crammed the egg into the cash register and closed it with a loud huff.

Finally, the slug man slivered his way over to the counter. Very slowly. And then, it began to recount it's lunch order. Very slowly.

By the time Marco finally made it to the counter, his stomach was practically roaring.

As Marco stood in front of him, Roy gave a heavy sigh. "...Welcome to the Goblin Dog truck... Can I get you a Goblin Dog?" asked Roy in a disinterested tone.

Marco nodded. "Uh- yeah. Give me, like... Four. I'm... I'm really hungry." he said.

Roy sighed and gave Marco a lazy nod. The two of them held eye contact for a little while before Roy let out another heavy sigh. "Sorry, sir. We're all out of those." he muttered.

Marco blinked. "You're... All out of what?"

"Goblin Dogs."

"...Really?"

"Nope. It was all a teeest..." said Roy, as he lazily waved his arms in the air for emphasis.

Marco stared at him for a while. His instincts were telling him not to bother asking any questions, and just take his Goblin Dogs and go. Unfortunately, Marco couldn't help himself. Maybe he was just feeling bored... Or maybe he just didn't like seeing anyone else look so miserable.

It was probably a mixture of both.

"...Roy? Is, uh... Is something going on with you?" asked Marco.

Roy sighed, and slowly shook his head. "Me? No- I'm perfect in every way, and everyone knows that..." muttered Roy. "No... It's just... Well- it's lookin' like the old Goblin Dog truck is driving on its last legs. And not just 'cuz we had to replace those last year..."

Marco blinked. "...Wait, _what_?"

"Nobody likes Goblin Dogs anymore! They're all into stuff like Pixie Pizza's and Imp Burrito's... There's just no room anymore for lil' ol' Goblin Dogs..." said Roy.

"Well... Maybe if you had a sales strategy that didn't involve forcing your customers to answer riddles and fight it out for a place in the line..." muttered Marco.

Roy huffed. "You sound just like all my Boss's. 'Don't shoot stuff at the customers, Roy.' 'Don't lead the customers into high-speed chases in the food truck, Roy'. You know what your problem is? You don't have _vision_!"

"Uh-huh..." muttered Marco.

"And now... They're even threatening to sell my food truck _and_ my spot to _Troy_. Troy! Can you believe it!? You know what _he'd_ make in a food truck? I've got no idea- but I bet it's be something terrible! Just like _Troy_!" exclaimed Roy. "And he's just _desperate_ to take this place from me, I _know_ it... And at this rate he's probably gonna _get_ it."

Marco rubbed the back of his neck as he struggled to think of the right thing to say. "...Look... Roy... I'm sorry you're having a tough time and all... And-... And I wish I could say something encouraging... But- y'know... Sometimes... Sometimes you just gotta let go. And... And who knows... Maybe you'll wind up finding something even more special." said Marco. "It's... It sucks, but... But maybe..." Marco's voice trailed off, as his face fell into a confused frown.

Roy huffed. "Are you sure you're not confusing choosing to 'move on' with just 'giving up'?" he asked.

Marco blinked.

Before he could open his mouth to say anything, Roy suddenly pulled a large silver platter of Goblin Dogs out from under the counter and sat them down in front of him. "Here. Take it. And make sure you enjoy 'em, because they might be the last Goblin Dogs that ever come outta this place..." said Roy.

"Uh... Thanks?" muttered Marco, as he picked up the platter.

Roy let out another long weary sigh and laid his head down on the counter. "...That'll be six hundred and fifty dollars..." he muttered.

Marco stared at Roy for a moment. Finally, after letting out a weary sigh of his own, Marco balanced the platter in one hand while he fished out his wallet with the other. After paying Roy, Marco carried the platter over to a nearby picnic table and sat down to eat. After practically inhaling the first two Goblin Dogs and coming dangerously close to choking, Marco did his best to pace himself as he ate. As he chewed on his third Goblin Dog, Marco looked around.

'...I'm all alone again.' he thought. '...That's been happening a lot lately...'

Marco felt his chest tighten again.

Time passed by slowly as he ate Goblin Dog after Goblin Dog. Eventually, he found himself stuffed full beyond all reason- and yet, the platter still seemed almost entirely filled with Goblin Dogs. Marco stared at the pile of food for a while, feeling a wave of queasiness crash over him. "...There's no way I'm gonna be able to finish all these..." muttered Marco. Pushing the platter away from him, Marco sat his head down on the table and sighed.

'Okay... So-... What now?' he thought. 'Star hasn't called... So... She probably doesn't need me.'

Marco sighed again as he felt himself grow drowsy.

'...I haven't been sleeping very well recently. Those... Nightmares-... They just never stop...'

Marco took a deep breath.

'...Oh, well... I guess it's not like I have anything else to do today...'

With that, Marco closed his eyes. And it wasn't long until sleep eventually took over.

* * *

 _It seemed to take a while for him to realize that he was falling. When he finally did, he began screaming and clawing desperately at the darkness around him. But there was nothing to hold on to. Nothing to stop him from falling ever deeper into the endless black void below._

 _The blood moon was floating far above him, lighting the darkness around him in a sickly crimson glow. As he fell, the light quickly began to fade. Marco reached his hand out, as if he hoped to touch the moon. Only to watch the moonlight fade between his fingers._

 _Now, everything was dark. He could no longer see himself, nor could he hear the sound of his own screams. His entire body began to go still, as his hands and feet slowly began to fade into nothingness. It was a cold sensation. As if parts of his body were going numb and breaking apart._

 _Time suddenly came to a stop. A wave of emotions began to rose up from his chest and poured out of him. Memories began to flash across his mind before fading away. But he could no longer picture them. Instead, the memories seemed to exist as long strings of complex emotions. As they all poured out of him, he could feel his journey reaching its end._

 _As Marco's body finally dissipated, he tried with all his might to make a noise. To find his voice, despite having every part of him fade away._

 _And finally, he did._

 _"...Star."_

 _His voice seemed to echo throughout the void._

 _"...I..."_

 _"...I-"_

* * *

Marco's eyes fluttered open, and once again he found himself trembling and drenched in sweat. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeves and took a few deep breaths. As he struggled to stop the trembling, he felt something touch his shoulder.

Marco froze.

"Karate Boy."

Marco breathed a deep sigh of relief as he turned to find Buff Frog standing beside him.

"...Hey." he muttered, his voice cracked and raspy. "What, uh... What're you doing here?"

Buff Frog seemed to study Marco's face for a moment, his eyes filled with concern."...Well, I was just coming here to try one of those... Er-... 'Goblin Dogs'. I have heard many good things from Miss Star Butterfly." said Buff Frog. "...And-... What about you, Karate Boy?"

Marco thought for a moment and then gave a weak shrug. "...Just... Having lunch." he muttered.

Buff Frog's head-flippers fluttered a little. "...Lunch? But it is already being very late in the evening." said Buff Frog, as he gestured toward the horizon. Marco turned around slightly to find that the sun had almost completely set. Marco stared at the red glow of the sunset for a moment and then shuddered. Without saying anything, Marco buried his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He rummaged around for a few minutes, before finally retrieving his phone.

Staring down at his phone's screen, he let out a small sigh. '...No missed calls...' he thought. '...Well, I guess that's a good thing.'

As he put his slowly slipped his phone back into his pocket, he noticed something sitting beside him and snoring loudly.

Marco blinked.

"The... The sleeping shrubbery was already being there when I arrived." said Buff Frog, as Marco stared at the pile of greenish-blue hair sitting next to him. It seemed to take him a moment for him to recognize it.

"...Kelly." he muttered.

At the sound of her name, Kelly suddenly sat up straight. "I'm awake!" she exclaimed. After taking a moment to remember where she was, Kelly gave an embarrassed chuckle as she brushed her hair away from her face. "Wow- falling asleep on a picnic table... That's probably not a good sign. No offense, Marco." she said, as she adjusted her glasses and shot Marco a friendly smile.

Despite looking like a sweaty mess, Marco couldn't help but return the smile. "Hey, Kelly." he said. "It's good to see you."

Noticing the curious stare that Buff Frog was giving them, Marco cleared his throat. "Uh... Buff Frog, this is my friend Kelly... Kelly- this is my friend Buff Frog." he said.

Kelly blinked as she noticed Buff Frog stand off to the side. "Oh! Uh-... H-hey..." she muttered, stumbling over her words a little as she spoke. "Sorry... I get kinda nervous when I'm meeting new people..."

Buff Frog blinked, and his head-flippers fluttered. "Oh- Er, do not worry about it..." he muttered. "...I am sorry, Karate Boy... Did I-... Did I interrupt something?"

Marco and Kelly gave Buff Frog a blank look. It seemed to take a few seconds for them to realize what it was that Buff Frog was implying. When it finally clicked, they both shook their heads in perfect unison.

"No, no- I was just... I came by a little while ago, and I found Marco sleeping with his face on the table here... I was gonna wait for him to wake up and stuff, but... I guess I wound up falling asleep too. Sorry about that, Marco." said Kelly. "I uh... I thought you might've needed the sleep."

Marco smiled a little. "Don't worry about it, Kelly." he said.

As he watched Marco and Kelly interact, Buff Frog stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. "I see..." he muttered.

Noticing the look of suspicion in Buff Frog's eyes, Marco gave a nervous cough. "Uh... Buff Frog? You... You can sit down if you like..." he muttered.

"Oh- Okay... Do not mind if I do..." he said, as he took a seat across from Marco and Kelly. "Say-... Are you... Going to eat this?" he asked, gesturing toward the platter of leftover Goblin Dogs sitting in the middle of the table.

Marco blinked. "Oh... Well, they've kinda been sitting there all day, Buff Frog..." he said.

"You should never be wasting food, Karate Boy." said Buff Frog, in a disapproving tone.

"Well... If you want them, you can have them..." said Marco, with a slight shrug.

Buff Frog gave a happy croak and wasted no time in picking up the platter and tipping over, sending the Goblin Dogs tumbling into his gaping maw. After a few minutes of disturbing slurping and chomping sounds, Buff Frog set the platter down on the table again and gave a hearty burp. There was a moment of silence at the table, as Buff Frog quietly picked at his teeth with his fingers, and Marco stared at him- looking equal parts horrified and impressed.

Eventually, it was Kelly who broke the silence.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "You just ate like two dozen Goblin Dogs in _minutes_! That's almost the world record!"

Buff Frog smiled and nodded. "Yes... Is one of my greatest talents." he said, before giving another loud burp. "I could have gone pro... But... I pulled my stomach during championships... Never quite recovered."

Kelly gave a sage-like nod. "Yeah... I've been there."

Marco smiled as he watched Buff Frog and Kelly spark up a conversation about eating contests that quickly moved into the subject of favorite foods. Ponyhead had once told him that Kelly was a very shy person. And whether or not that was actually true, she had always been incredibly easy to talk too. At least for as long as he had known her.

Kelly and Buff Frog's conversation continued for a few minutes, but eventually- and somewhat inevitably- the subject came up that Marco had been doing his best to avoid.

"So, how's Star?" asked Kelly. "I haven't seen her for a while."

Marco shrank in his seat a little under Kelly's gaze. "...She's... Well-... She's going through a lot." he muttered.

Buff Frog nodded. "Yes... I heard about the, er-... 'Monster Dance' that she threw with the royal Mewman youth... It was sad to hear about how it turned out..." said Buff Frog.

"Yeah, it kinda got outta control at the end there... But, y'know- I think it was a step in the right direction. And Star's probably not gonna let a little set back like that hold her down." said Kelly.

Marco smiled a little, despite himself. "...Yeah. She's really awesome that way..." he muttered, in a wistful tone.

"So... What exactly happened, anyway? I didn't really get the chance to ask... I overheard a few things, but- I don't think I ever really got an accurate description." said Kelly.

Buff Frog nodded. "Yes, me as well." he added.

Marco sighed.

"...Well, everything was going fine... But, then- people started disappearing. And pretty quickly, the Mewman kids started blaming the monsters for it. Things started going south from there... I mean- it was mostly just arguing and stuff... But then, we found out who it was that was... Stealing people." said Marco. "It turned out to be this crazy person named Mina Loveberry. I, uh-... Star and I had met her before... Quite a while ago. Apparently, she used to be this big hero or something..."

Buff Frog shuddered. "...Mina _Loveberry_ you say... This is a name I've not heard since I was but a young tadpole... Some of the scariest campfire stories among us monsters are about 'Loveberry the Merciless'..." he said.

Kelly blinked. "...I thought I heard that she went crazy and disappeared..." she muttered.

"Well... That's half right, at least." said Marco. "We, uh... We found her living in the basement. She had been capturing everyone who crossed her path. Tying up the monsters, and letting the Mewman's go... Although it did look like she kinda roughed them up first..."

"...If the stories I have heard are true... Then they were lucky to still be alive." said Buff Frog.

Marco nodded. "Yeah... I don't know what she would've done if we hadn't found her when we did." he said.

"So- what happened next? Did you and Star fight her off and save the day?" asked Kelly.

Marco shook his head. "...Not quite. That was about the time Miss Heinous showed up... Things got really crazy after that." he said.

Buff Frog scratched his head. "Who is this... 'Miss Heinous'?" he asked.

Marco shrugged. "Well... She's kinda my mortal enemy, I guess. I mean- she certainly seems to think she is. She actually showed up a couple of times while I was on Earth... You know... After the whole 'Toffee' thing. She's not really all that threatening when she doesn't have a pack of goons at her beck and call." he explained. "Anyway-... Well, like I said- things got pretty crazy. But the short version is that it turns out Miss Heinous is actually related to Star. And... She's Eclipsa's daughter."

"Whaa-? You mean... 'Eclipsa Queen of Darkness' Eclipsa?" exclaimed Kelly. "But, wait- That... That doesn't make any sense... Isn't Eclipsa... You know... _Ancient_?"

Marco nodded. "Yeah... Honestly, I'm not really sure what the deal is there either... Star, uh-... Star doesn't really like to talk about it. At least-... Not with me." he said.

Kelly blinked. "...What do you mean?" she asked.

Marco winced a little, instantly regretting his words. "...Nothing. Anyway, so-... After the party, Star was kinda down for a while. I, uh-... I tried to cheer her up, but... I... I wasn't able too. But, uh-... Tom... Tom really stepped it up his game, and... Well... He's helped her a lot. They've been hanging out almost every day recently. Star's been trying to track down some records of her family history. Queen Moon hasn't really been all that helpful with that stuff, though. I think she's afraid of what Star might find." said Marco.

Buff Frog scratched his chin. "...Star has told me about this." he said. "I tried to find anything I could on this 'Eclipsa'... But every monster I know had never heard of her. ...I believe that most of the records of her existence have been destroyed."

Kelly scratched her head. "Really? I heard about her in grade school. I mean- it was more of a folk talk than anything else, but... Most people I know have at least heard her name."

"...We tried a few magic library dimensions, but all we found were a bunch of books with fangs and wings... Along with a couple of crazy librarians." said Marco. "I mostly just spent my time getting bitten and chased around. By both the books _and_ the librarians."

"Did you find anything?" asked Kelly.

"No... We didn't. I think-... I think Star took it pretty hard... But-... Like I said, Tom's been doing a really good job of being there for her." as he spoke, Marco could feel swell of pain in his chest. He quickly grit his teeth and did his best to push it down. Feeling Buff Frog and Kelly's gaze, he gave a few fake coughs and hoped that it would be enough to disguise his pained expression.

"A-anyway... The last time we all went library hunting was about a week ago. Since then, she's been doing a lot better." he said. "She's decided to re-double her efforts on Mewman/Monster equality, and... Trying her best to become the best princess she can be. And she's made real progress. She's already changed a lot... Of course- she's still the same Star deep down."

Marco paused for a moment, as a small smile crept up on his face. "She's really strong. Probably the strongest person I've ever met... And I know nothings gonna stop her." he said. "...She really is... The most incredible person I'll ever know."

Once again feeling Buff Frog and Kelly's gaze on him, Marco blushed. "A-anyway... So-... Yeah, I think everything's going to be fine with Star." said Marco.

"That is good." said Buff Frog. "And... What about you?"

Marco looked down at the table for a moment and frowned a little. "...I'm fine." he muttered. After a brief pause, Marco quickly shifted his gaze up to Buff Frog, and then to Kelly. "What- uh... What about you two?" he asked.

There was a brief period of silence as Buff Frog and Kelly exchanged worried looks, before turning their attention back to Marco. Eventually, Kelly broke the silence by clearing her throat. "Well... I, uh... ...I haven't really been doing too well..." she muttered.

Marco quickly turned toward Kelly, his features instantly filled with concern. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Kelly brushed a few tufts of hair out of her face and gave a long, weary sigh. "...I don't know... I just... I've had kind of a 'funk' going on, you know?" she said. "I've... Been feeling it for a while."

"...Is it about Tad?" asked Marco.

Kelly gave another long sigh. "...Well, not _exactly_..." she muttered. "I mean-... _Kind of_... It's, uh-... It's kinda hard to explain."

Marco gave her a kind smile. "Why don't you give it a try? I'll listen to whatever you have to say." said Marco. "Or- you know... If you're not comfortable, then that's fine too. Whatever works for you."

"...Sometimes it can help a great deal just to talk these things out..." said Buff Frog. "If I am intruding, then I can go..." he offered.

Kelly slowly shook her head. "No, it's fine... You can stay, uh-... Sorry, what's your name again?" she asked.

"My name is Yvgeny Bulgolyubov. But... Friends call me 'Buff Frog'. And any friend of Karate Boy's is a friend of mine." said Buff Frog.

Kelly smiled. "Thanks." she said. There was a brief period of silence at the table, as Kelly struggled to think of what to say next. Eventually, she gave a long, frustrated sigh as she ran her hands through her hair. As she pulled her hands away, her hair seemed to frizz out in all directions. With another sigh, Kelly did her best to pat her hair back down before again. It seemed to take a few minutes of messing around on her part, but eventually, Kelly found her voice.

"...So... A while ago, my on and off again boyfriend and I... We broke up." she began. "It-... It'd kinda been a long time coming. Tad and I... We hadn't really 'clicked' like a normal couple in a long time. We just... Started arguing a lot. And then... One of us would come back, and apologize to the other... We'd remember all the fun we used to have... And then before long- we were back together again. We, uh... We stayed like that for a while."

Kelly sighed. "...Eventually, I realized that I had to break the cycle. It was hard... But I knew it was the right thing for both of us. Unfortunately... I couldn't really get Tad to see things that way. He... Well, I guess he thought that it was just another fight... And that we'd just end up getting back together again." said Kelly. "...And to be honest... I couldn't really blame him. We'd both been stringing each other along so such a long time... That it almost felt like that was just the way things were _supposed_ to be. But... One day, I realized... That I wasn't happy. And I know Tad wasn't either."

Kelly glanced up at Buff Frog and Marco, and couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious under their gaze. Kelly pulled her hair over her face just a little, and took a deep breath.

"...So... The same day I was trying to convince Tad that this new break up was a real one... It just so happened to be the day of the Soul Rise. Ever since I was kid, I used to love sneaking out to the underworld beach and watching it. ...It was kinda like my own special little thing. No matter what kinda stuff I was going through... The Soul Rise always made me feel better." said Kelly. "For as long as I could remember, I'd never missed one. And I didn't want to start... Especially because... Well... That day, I think I really needed it."

"Star and I had already planned a big beach picnic for the occasion... But Tad was still living in my hair. So, I told him... That I wanted him to leave before the Soul Rise came... And it kinda spun into another big argument. By the time the big beach picnic started, I... Well, I was doing a lot of thinking. See, I knew... That I had to move on. And Tad did too. But... No matter how much thought I put into it... I just-... I couldn't think of a way to break it off for good... Without hurting Tad more than I already had." said Kelly. "But then... You came by to check on me... And... Everything just seemed to spill outta me. Sorry about all that, by the way..." she continued, as she turned to face Marco.

Marco smiled. "Don't worry about it..." he said. "I... Well, I wasn't really all that much help in the first place. I think... I think Tad already knew that he was just making you both miserable. He was just clinging on because... He was scared of what letting go would mean."

Kelly gave a wistful smile. "...Yeah." she muttered. "It's... It can be really hard... Moving on from something like that. But- you know... It can also be kinda exciting. Because all of a sudden... You're free. And you realize that there's a whole bunch of stuff out there to do... Stuff to explore, and people to meet... All you have to do is get back out there and find it. And... Maybe you'll find something better than you could have ever imagined."

Buff Frog smiled. "That is a beautiful thought, Shrubbery Girl." he said.

Kelly blinked. "...'Shrubbery Girl'?" she muttered.

"Oh! I am sorry. I, er-... Forgive my old brain, she is failing me. Your name... It was... Diane? No, no... Deborah? Er... Dana?" asked Buff Frog.

"Uh... No. It's 'Kelly'." said Kelly. "I don't where you're getting all these 'D' names..."

"Ah, yes, of course! I am very sorry Miss Kelly." said Buff Frog.

Kelly smiled a little. "You know what... 'Shrubbery Girl' isn't too bad. Let's just say that only my friends can call me that... 'Buff Frog'." she said.

Buff Frog let out a hearty laugh. "Yes, of course. Let us do that, 'Shrubbery Girl'."

Marco smiled. "...I think I'll just stick with 'Kelly'." he said.

Kelly gave a playful shrug. "Whatever floats your boat, 'Marco _Ubaldo_ Diaz'." she said.

Marco blinked. "Wait- How do you know my middle name?" he asked.

"Oh, Star's Earth friend told me. I mean- her _other_ Earth friend." said Kelly.

Marco scowled. "... _Janna_..." he muttered.

"Yeah, that's her! She also gave me a copy of your birth certificate for some reason... And a handful of baby photos. You were a really cute baby, by the way." said Kelly.

Marco gave a heavy sigh. "...Is there any way I can get those back from you?" he asked.

"Uuhhh... I think I wound up giving those to Star... And I think she wound up making a bunch of copies and spreading them all over Mewni." said Kelly.

"Wha- How did she 'accidentally' do _that_?" asked Marco.

Kelly shrugged. "I dunno. It was a while ago now, so I don't really remember all the details." she said.

After taking a moment to wonder for the umpteenth time why Janna seemed to think pranking him was so much fun, Marco gave a heavy sigh and shook his head as if to rid the subject from his mind. "...Sorry, I think we got a little side-tracked there..." said Marco. "Kelly... You said that you were in a... A 'funk'. And... I don't think you quite got around to telling us _why_."

Kelly sighed. "...You're right." she muttered, as she absent-mindedly adjusted her glasses. For a moment, it looked like she had lost herself in thought. Then, all of a sudden- she let out another long sigh before setting her head down on the table. "...I... I don't know..." she muttered. "Things... Things've been a lot better for me since I broke up with Tad. You know? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want... And I don't have to feel the weight of sadness and guilt weighing down on my chest... Or my hair."

"But... You know-... Sometimes I look around... And... I start to wonder if... If I'm alone now. I mean-... All my friends have stuff going on, especially Star... And I'm just kinda... Roaming around on my own. It was fun at first- having a little 'Kelly on Kelly' time for once... I went on a couple of adventures... Exploring ruins and fighting giant sea creatures... And it's really fun and all-... But afterwards, when you're just sitting by yourself by a campfire... Well... It feels... _Lonely_." she said. "And-... And to be honest... I'm kinda disappointed in myself. I mean, I got what I wanted... But-... But I'm still not... Happy. And it's messed, because... I hurt Tad for this. And... I gave up on a whole chapter of my life to start this new one... And... It's like... If I'm not... Really happy-... Then... What'd I even do this for? Was it even _w_ _orth it_?"

Marco placed a hand on Kelly's shoulder and gave her a comforting smile. "...Sure it was, Kelly. You deserved the chance to try and find your way into a happier life." he said.

Buff Frog gave a serious nod. "Yes, Shrubbery Girl. Karate Boy is right- Trying to move on was being the right decision... You said it yourself. You're happier now. Feeling sad or lonely from time to time does not negate this... Is being natural state of existing as living creature." said Buff Frog.

A soft smiled graced Kelly's features. "...Thanks, you two." she said, as she brushed a tuft of hair away from her face. "I'm sorry if I'm... Blathering and junk. I just- ...Well, I haven't really gotten to talk to anyone about all this stuff... It, uh... It's already helped a lot."

"Hey, if you ever need to talk- Give me a call. I'll always make time for a friend in need." said Marco.

Kelly smiled. "...Thanks, Marco." she said.

"Yes, Shrubbery Girl... One should never be afraid to talk to their friends. Even if it is feeling uncomfortable... Or painful... Is always best to talk these things out with people who care about you. Isn't that right, Karate Boy?" asked Buff Frog, as he shot Marco a look.

Marco shrank a little in his seat. "...Yeah..." he muttered, as he turned his gaze away from Kelly and Buff Frog.

Suddenly, Marco felt Kelly place her hand on his shoulder. From across the table, Buff Frog stood up and leaned over to place his hand on Marco's head.

"Marco..." said Kelly. "...I came wandering over to the Goblin Dog Truck because... I was feeling lonely. And... I wanted to bury my misery in magical meat products. But then... I found you. Sleeping here, with your head on the table. You were... Trembling. And-... And there were tears running down your cheeks. When I saw you like that... I just-... I was at a loss. The only thing I could think to do was sit next to you... And try and be there for you."

Marco kept his gaze trained downward as Kelly spoke.

"Marco... I-... I never asked you exactly what was bothering you on the night of the Soul Rise. Mostly because... Well, it wasn't hard to figure out. And... We still kinda barely knew each other. But... I'm asking now, Marco. Please. Tell us what's wrong... And let us try to help." said Kelly.

Marco remained silent.

"Karate Boy... Ever since the night you came to visit... I have done my best to be keeping an eye on you. But... I have not done this very well. I have been busy with so many things... The job that Miss Princess Star Butterfly gave me as 'Monster Expert'... And my beloved Buff Babies... They keep me busy at all hours. And... While I was doing this... You-... You seem to have gotten worse." said Buff Frog. "This is my fault... I have been knowing about... You're situation... And yet-... I have done so little. I am so very, truly sorry..."

Marco frowned a little, and shook his head. "...It's-" his voice cracked as he spoke, and Marco paused to clear his throat. "...It's not your fault, Buff Frog. Not at _all_. I'm the one living my life... And I'm the one who keeps messing it up."

Buff Frog gave a sad sigh. "This may be true, Karate Boy. But this does not mean that you are not allowed to ask for help. You are owing it to yourself... Keeping everything inside like this... It is destroying you." said Buff Frog. "I... I am knowing very well how difficult it can be to trust others. I have spent a great deal of my life alone... And then, I dedicated it to someone I thought was friend- but who was instead just a selfish brat. If it weren't for my Buff Babies... I might still be alone. And traveling a much darker path."

"I am knowing how painful it is to feels... Karate Boy. To feel so alone... And I also know how difficult it is being to reach out when it feels so very hopeless. But, I am asking you... _We,_ are asking... As people who care about you... As your friends... Tell us what is going on." said Buff Frog.

Kelly gave a slow nod as she tightened her grip on Marco's shoulder ever so slightly. "Yeah. Remember... You said... You'd always make time for a friend in need. Let us do the same for you, Marco. Please." she said.

Marco slowly looked upward to meet Kelly's gaze and paused for a moment. Her eyes were overflowing with incredible compassion and warmth. Turning his gaze over to Buff Frog, he saw the same thing. They were both sincere. They were both incredibly worried. And they both truly cared.

Marco felt his chest tighten, and his stomach began to tie up in knots. Marco looked down again and took a deep breath.

"...I-... I haven't..." as Marco spoke, his voice began to tremble slightly. With an annoyed grunt, Marco shook his head and took a deep breath. "...I haven't talked to anyone about... What's bothering me... Mostly because... I didn't wanna have to admit to anyone else." he muttered. "Because... Because doing so means admitting to how big a screw up I really am. How stupid and _arrogant_..."

Marco paused for a moment to shake his head again. He didn't want to let his emotions take over. If they did- it would make it more embarrassing than it already was.

As Marco took a few shallow breaths to calm himself down, Kelly gave a quiet gasp. "... _Marco_..." she muttered. "You-... You can't really believe that about yourself..."

Marco frowned a little as he breathed a heavy sigh. "...I-... I don't know. I think-... I think I do. But... I don't know how much of that is just... Feeling sorry for myself. And _angry_." he muttered. Taking another deep breath, he turned to face Kelly. "...After the whole thing with 'Toffee'... The lizard-guy who almost destroyed magic... I went back to Earth. I-... I thought I was doing the right thing. Earth... Is my home. It's where all my friends and family are... But... When I got there, all I could think or talk about was Mewni. And-... Star."

"I just wouldn't shut up about it... And... It ruined my relationship with a girl I really cared about. I-... I hurt her. All because I couldn't move on. And honestly-... I don't know if I even really _tried_." said Marco. "...After we broke up... I decided to go back to Mewni. It-... It was something I'd daydreamed about a lot... Going back... And-... And seeing Star again..."

"But-... When I did... When I... Barged my way back into her life... I found out that she-... Well... She had already done what I never could. She'd moved on..." said Marco. Even though he was doing his best to pace himself, he still couldn't stop the tremble in his voice. "And that... Well-... It hurt. It hurt a lot. But I-... I guess I thought that maybe... Over time... We'd be able to go back to the way things were. If-... If I could just achieve _that_... Then... Maybe everything would be okay. But... I can't."

Turning away from Kelly, Marco looked down at the table once more.

"...Coming back to Mewni... Was the biggest mistake I've ever made. All I've done... Is annoy Star... Get in her way... And-... And make myself... _Miserable_." said Marco.

Kelly frowned a little, as she gave Marco's shoulder an extra squeeze. "That's not true, Marco! You've spent almost all your time _helping_ her!" she said.

Marco shook his head. "...It's not... It's not enough. Anybody could be her squire." he muttered.

"It's more than that, Marco! You've been supporting her all throughout the drama with the Monster/Mewman relations... And her magic... Even her family stuff with Eclipsa!" said Kelly. "You've helped her so much already..."

Marco slowly shook his head. "...Star-... Star would've been fine without me. She's-... Well... She's _Star_. For as long as I've known her, she's always been able to handle anything that came her way." he said.

"Yeah- But... But you were _there_. You were by her side." said Kelly. "You and Star... You've been through so much together... You-... You can't think that it didn't make a difference..."

Marco was quiet for a moment, as he felt an immense swell of emotions come bubbling to the surface. He could already feel the sting of tears in his eyes- and for the first time in a while, he didn't bother trying to stop it. It was too difficult, and he was already emotionally exhausted. The nightmare he had was still replaying itself somewhere in the back of his mind... Haunting him like a painful curse.

All of his feelings... They were too heavy. They were crushing him- and had been for a long time.

"...Maybe... Maybe that was true before. ...But... Things have changed. Star's dealing with so much right now... And all I'm doing is dragging her down." he said. "I-... I realized it on the night of the Monster/Mewman party... When everything started spiraling out of control... There was nothing I could do. I can't-... I can't fight ancient magical warriors... And-... And I can't... I can't be there for Star... At least-... Not the way other people can..."

"...You mean Tom." said Kelly.

Marco gave a slow nod. "...Yeah. I mean Tom. He's-... Well, he really proved himself that night. Not only can he fight for Star in a way I'll never be able too... But he can be there for her... And help her... In a way that I just-... I just _can't_." he said. "And-... And I know I'm being... Jealous... And dumb... But-... That night... Watching those two together... I couldn't help but wonder... Why am I even here?"

"And-... And of course, I know the answer... And-... And it's just so... Dumb... And-... And selfish... And I-... I can't..." Marco's chest seemed to tighten so much that he could barely breathe. A lump had formed in his throat, and he could feel his hands start to tremble again. Marco took a deep breath, as tears began to slide down his cheeks.

"...Give me a moment." he muttered, as he wiped his face with his sleeve. Taking a few more deep breaths, he glanced up at Kelly, and then at Buff Frog. Both of them were staring at him with such genuine sympathy... It made him feel a little guilty. Part of him wanted to tell them that their sympathy was wasted on him. That he was just being stupid- and to ignore him.

But he couldn't. He needed to this- and he knew it.

After taking a long, shaky breath, Marco clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. He needed to share with them his closest secret. The thing he had kept locked away so tight that even he had been unaware of it. Marco drew another deep breath, as he struggled to find the words. The words for the thing he had only admitted to himself once... And then spent all of his time trying to suppress.

"...I'm... I'm in love with Star." said Marco.

Neither Buff Frog nor Kelly looked all that surprised when the words finally left his mouth. But then, he hadn't really expected to surprise anyone with that particular revelation. If what Tad had said back at Lava Lake Beach was any indication, then it was probably pretty obvious from an outside perspective. But for him... It was Earth shattering.

He had always known that he loved her. At least platonically. And for the life of him, he couldn't seem to figure out when exactly that had changed. There were several moments over the course of their friendship that he had felt something a little... Different. But at the time, he had simply ignored it. And now... All of those feelings had swelled into something enormous.

It was painful... And sad... But, there were also times when it felt... Incredible. It felt exhilarating and deeply fulfilling to have someone in his life that he truly loved. If only he could have been happy with that... If only he could just be happy for her and Tom...

The jealousy felt like acid in his veins. And it was complicated by his own lack of self-esteem. The feeling of worthlessness that had become so pervasive ever since his return to Mewni. He had always had problems with self-esteem... But never like this. It probably didn't help that the thing that used to be such a reliable remedy... The thing that had helped him through some of his darkest moments... Was Star.

She had helped him so much. And he wanted desperately to return the favor... But-... He couldn't. There was a distance between them now that he couldn't cross.

"Karate Boy?"

Marco blinked, as he was suddenly brought back to reality by the sound of Buff Frog's voice. "Oh-... Sorry, I was... Thinking..." he muttered.

Buff Frog offered him a sad smile. "...I- ...I am not really knowing what to say to you... Karate Boy. I have been having very little experience in the field of... 'Love'. But... Well-... I'm sure you already know... That you cannot keep going on like this. You need... You need to change something... Because, Karate Boy- despite what you seem to think... You deserve to be happy." said Buff Frog.

Kelly gave a slow nod. "...Yeah. Don't-... I mean..." she muttered, as she seemed to struggle to find the right words. "It's not 'selfish' to be in _love_ with someone."

Marco frowned. "...But- But what if I'm just doing all this because... Because I'm jealous? And-... What if... What if I'm just bitter because she was able to move on and I _wasn't_? How... How is that not just... _Awful_?"

"Marco... Even if that _was_ a part of what you're going through... That wouldn't make you 'awful'. It'd just mean that you have complex, messed up feelings- just like everyone else. You can't curse yourself just for _that_. I mean... Think about it. You have all of this stuff swirling around inside you, and yet- You're still always willing to offer Star your help. And not just her... But me, too. Don't you see how incredible that is?" asked Kelly.

Marco shook his head. "That's-... That's not 'incredible'... Of _course_ I'm gonna help... It's the right thing to do. It's what I'm _supposed_ to do." he said.

Kelly stared at him for a moment, with sadness in her eyes. "... _Marco_..." she muttered, feeling at a loss for words.

Before she could think of something to say to him, the ground beneath them began to shake. Kelly blinked, as the table they were sitting at began to rattle violently. A deafening horn blared off in the distance, causing Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog to wince and clutch at the sides of their heads in perfect unison. The horn rang out a few more times, rattling everything around them as it did.

Wincing and growling in pain, Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog looked around to try and find where the sound was coming from.

Eventually, their gaze settled on an enormous plume of dust rising up in the distance. Looking closer, they could see the dark outline of a truck approaching at an incredible speed. It didn't take long for the outline of the truck to grow larger and more detailed. It looked like an enormous monster truck crossed with van. It was painted jet black, with large dark purple and green serpents painted across the sides. On its roof sat an enormous silver megaphone, through which the impossibly loud horn sound would blare every few seconds.

Within about a minute, the truck had suddenly started skidding around in the dirt before coming to a slow stop just a short distance from the Goblin Dog truck. The black truck's door swung open in a dramatic fashion, and a small figure jumped out from the driver's seat, bounced off of one of the trucks enormous wheels, and landed on the roof, behind the silver megaphone.

The small figure pulled out a small receiver and cleared it's throat.

"Ahem... Hello? You guys hearin' this okay? Yeah? Good..." muttered the small figure, his voice booming through the silver loudspeaker. After taking a moment to clear it's throat again, the figure took a deep breath, and Marco instinctively covered his ears as best he could.

"RRRROOOOY!" bellowed the small figure. "IT IS I! _TROY_! I HAVE COME TO CLAIM WHAT IS NOW RIGHTFULLY _MINE_!"

Kelly gave a frustrated yell as she quickly stuffed as much of her hair as she could in her ears. Buff Frog, meanwhile, seemed to be clutching at his head-flippers for dear life. As the small figure spoke, Marco slowly rose to his feet and took a few steps closer in order to get a better look.

The small figure looked exactly like Roy. So much so, that Marco couldn't wonder if it _was_ Roy- that is until Roy himself suddenly jumped out of the Goblin Dog truck, angrily shaking his fist. Comparing the two Goblin creatures, the similarities were obvious. They were both the same size, they both seemed had the same crazed look in their eyes, and when the other Goblin began to shake his fist back at Roy- it looked like they were mirroring each other's movements.

The only noticeable difference was that the other Goblin creature had a pencil thin mustache on his upper lip. They were both even wearing the same red and white uniform.

"You'll never take this spot from me, Troy!" bellowed Roy. "I worked hard to find this place! To build up a clientele that I could be proud of! And that I could mess with whenever I felt like it! I'll never give it up!"

Troy huffed. "YOU'RE ARROGANCE KNOWS NO BOUNDS, ROY! THIS PLACE BELONGS TO NO _ONE_ FOOD TRUCK! IT WAS MEANT FOR ALL OF US!" he bellowed.

Roy crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Nu-uh. I reserved this place for my truck _legally_. I got the permits and everything." he said.

"I DON'T _BELIEVE_ IN PERMITS!" bellowed Troy.

Keeping his ears covered with his hands, Marco walked over to the two arguing goblins with an annoyed look on his face. "Hey! Haven't you two ever heard of noise pollution!?" he bellowed, before looking up at Troy. "And you! You're talking into a giant _megaphone_! Those are designed to amplify the volume of your voice! You don't need to _yell_ into it!"

Troy huffed. "HA! LOOK AT YOU! HAVE YOU DEVOTED YOURSELF SO DEEPLY TO THE _DOG_ THAT YOU'VE BECOME ONE YOURSELF!?" he bellowed. "I SHALL NEVER TAKE ADVICE FROM A _SLAVE_ OF THE GOBLIN DOG!- although, I guess you do make a good point, 'cuz I could wind up blowing the speaker or something and losing my deposit... BUT STILL! I SHALL HEED NO WARNING! I SHALL SIMPLY HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO WRITE OFF A GIANT BROKEN MEGAPHONE ON MY TAXES!"

"That'll never work, _Troy_! You can only write off megaphones if you're running an ice-cream truck! Have you not even read the Multi-Dimensional Food Truck Guide Book!?" yelled Roy, with a high pitched chuckle. "You're such an _amateur_!"

"I AM NO AMATEUR! I HAD _MUCH_ BETTER TEST SCORES THAN YOU AT FOOD TRUCK UNIVERSITY AND YOU _KNOW_ IT!" bellowed Troy.

"Oh, really? If I remember correctly, you only got those scores because you kept cheating..." said Roy. "And no one ever called you on it because your daddy ran the school..."

"SILENCE!" bellowed Troy. "I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M EVEN ARGUING WITH YOU! I DIDN'T COME HERE TO DO THAT!" he continued, as he flipped a small switch on the side of the large silver megaphone. "I CAME... TO DO THIS!" bellowed Troy. Suddenly, the megaphone began to sparkle. Then, just as Troy launched into a maniacal, villainous laugh, the megaphone exploded into a big puff of smoke. As the smoke slowly cleared, an enormous silver cannon was left standing where in place of the megaphone.

Troy continued his maniacal laugh for an uncomfortable amount of time. In that time, Marco was quickly joined by Buff Frog and Kelly, all of whom shared a wary glance.

Eventually, as he struggled to gain his breath, Troy finally straightened himself up and readied the cannon. "Behold!" he bellowed. "My Ultimate Soda Streaming Cannon! This thing fire's pure 'Smile Dip' brand soda! The soda so deeply, _intensely_ infused with sugar that it's banned from almost _every_ dimension... Why? Well, because it has been seen to dissolve more than just _teeth_... But _anything_ that dares stand in its way!"

As Troy launched into another fit of laughter, Buff Frog turned to face Marco. "...I am not hearing a _word_ he is saying, now... Are you?" he muttered.

Marco shook his head.

Kelly nodded in agreement. "Yeah... He's, uh... He's kinda high up there on that Super Big-Wheels thing..." she muttered.

Marco blinked. "...'Super Big-Wheels thing'?" he muttered, giving Kelly a curious look.

Kelly gave a short shrug. "Yeah... What would _you_ call it?" asked Kelly.

Marco thought for a moment. "Well... I guess 'Super Big-Wheels thing' works as well as anything else." he said.

Buff Frog nodded. "Yes. Is very descriptive." he said.

"It's time, Roy! Either move from this spot, or I'm going to reign sugary hell-fire down on you _and_ your puny little 'Goblin Dogs' truck!" yelled Troy, as the silver cannon whirred to life. First, it began to emanate a series of clicks- then, parts of it began to glow. Large tubes began to sprout out from all around the cannon, reaching downward and attaching themselves to the body of the truck. As of the tubes began to glow, Troy fell into another fit of maniacal laughter.

"Uh... Roy?" said Marco. "I can't really hear what the other guy is saying anymore... But, uh-... I can't imagine him aiming a big cannon-thing at your truck is a very good sign..."

Roy huffed as he slammed his fist against the counter. "Oh, yeah? Well, guess what? I'm not gonna be intimidated. This place means everything to me, and I don't wanna give it up. Not to him, and not to anyone else!" he exclaimed. "Plus- I spent a bunch of money on a security system after my third visit from the sparkly, golden butterfly-thing. Might as well use it."

Marco watched with a mixture of concern and dread as Roy rummaged around underneath his counter, while the sound of the cannon whirring grew louder and louder. Eventually, Roy popped back up with a small remote in his hand. "Found it!" he exclaimed, as he held the remote out in front of him. "Now, stand back... I'm not really sure if this thing works properly. I kinda picked it up on the black market..."

Marco barely had time to register what had been said before Roy slid a pair of sunglasses on his face and pressed a small red button on the remote. All of a sudden, the Goblin Dog Truck was enveloped in a flash of light. Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly winced and made a series of angry noises as they rubbed at their eyes. Their vision was temporarily whited out by the sudden flash of light. Their vision recovered slowly, and only in blurry patches. Eventually, as their vision grew clear, they found themselves standing in front of an enormous metal cube. It seemed to have formed itself around Roy's Goblin Dog truck.

Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly shared a confused glance.

Suddenly, a series of enormous silver spike began jutting out from every side of the metal cube. This was quickly followed by a loud crackling sound as enormous sparks of powerful electricity jumped from one large spike to another. Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly stared blankly at the enormous, spiky electrified metal cube while Troy continued to monologue on the roof of his truck.

"Okay- I'm all set! Got my emergency chips... A water bottle... An _empty_ bottle... Yep! I'm all set for the long haul!" came Roy's voice, emanating from the metal cube somehow. As the sound of potato chips being opened and hastily eaten filled the air, Troy's cannon finally stopped whirring and trained itself onto the spiky, metal cube below.

"Uh-... Roy? I think he's about to _fire_..." said Marco.

"...Hmm-... I can't hear anything in here. I wonder if they can hear _me_... That'd be weird." came Roy's voice from inside the cube, quickly followed by the sounds of someone loudly guzzling water.

"This is it, Roy... This is the end for you... And for _Goblin Dogs_..." muttered Troy, as he pulled a small lever attached to the cannon.

Marco quickly turned to Buff Frog and Kelly. "Everyone! Get down!" he exclaimed, as a torrent of multi-colored liquid suddenly came spraying out of the cannon at an incredible speed. The enormous stream of liquid crashed into the spiked metal cube with tremendous force. Marco quickly jumped and tumbled across the dirt just in time to avoid splash back. The few droplets of the liquid that landed on the ground immediately began to dissolve it. Emanating a loud hiss as the dirt bubbled up and turned black.

The large, spiked metal cube trembled a little under the force of the liquid but seemed to otherwise hold it's own. Unfortunately, this didn't last.

"Aw, man... That sounds pretty bad... Wait... Is he-... Is he using a Smile-Dip soda cannon or something?" Roy's voice continued to emanate from the cube, although only barely audible over the sound of the liquid smashing against it. "...Welp- Guess I'm doomed. That kinda sucks... But, at least I died the way I lived... Dissolving and screaming inside my food truck. In a way, I guess that's the dream..."

Marco slowly picked himself up off the ground as the large metal cube slowly began to melt away, revealing the Goblin Dog truck inside. "Roy! Get outta there!" he yelled, as the metal cube quickly crumbled and fell apart.

"It's okay, Marco! This-... This place... My truck... This job... It's my whole world! Without it, I'm nothing! If it's gonna end, then so am I!" yelled Roy.

Marco grit his teeth. "Don't be an _idiot_! Even if it seems like that's the only thing you live for, as long as your alive, you'll be able to find something else! Or even rebuild what you had! Sure, it might not be the same- But that's okay! Maybe you can make it _better_!" yelled Marco.

Kelly quickly made her way to Marco's side and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Yeah! If you just give up, then you're dooming yourself to nothingness from the start! Just _fight_! I know you have the spirit! And with it, you can get outta any situation!" yelled Kelly. "Just jump outta there! Quickly! If you jump off the counter then you'll be able to avoid the acid before it starts melting your truck!"

"No! If I did survive this, I'd be left with nothing! Then what? I just spend my time roaming the dimensions until I get myself killed by some other crazy creature!? Nu-uh! If I can choose how I go, then I choose to go this way!" yelled Roy.

Buff Frog joined Marco and Kelly, and took a deep breath. "I know what it is like to lose everything you are caring about! It is being terrible! But Shrubbery Girl is right! Giving up means letting the adversity win!" yelled Buff Frog. "It is being most painful thing to pick yourself up and collect the pieces when your world is shattered!... But you can do it if you just try! You just have to take first step! It doesn't matter what direction! Just move!"

"Wait... Are you talking about _metaphorical_ stepping, or _literal_ stepping right now? 'Cuz I think if I was gonna try and escape, then that bush-girl's idea has a better chance of working..." said Roy. Just as the words left his mouth, a river of liquid fell on to the roof of the Goblin Dog truck. As the liquid flowed across the roof of the truck, it suddenly came crashing down over the space with where the counter sat. With his only method of escape now blocked by a wall of sugary acid, Roy gave a simple shrug.

"Woop- Look's like I spoke too soon." he muttered.

Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly exchanged panicked looks as they watched the Goblin Dog truck begin to dissolve. Marco took a few shaky breaths as he closed his eyes and struggled to think. Then, his eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, as he pulled his dimensional scissors out of his pocket. Wasting no time, Marco opened a portal and stuck his arm into it. After feeling around for a moment, he pulled his arm back and, along with it- Roy. Holding Roy by the scruff of his uniform, Marco breathed a sigh of relief as Buff Frog and Kelly cheered.

Marco quickly closed the portal, but kept his grip on Roy strong.

With the Goblin Dog finally reduced to a puddle of bubbling filth, Troy let out a long, hearty cackle. " _Yes_! I did it! Bwahahaha! It's over, _Roy_! _You're_ over!" he bellowed.

Hanging limply in Marco's grasp, Roy let out a heavy sigh. "...It's over..." he muttered. "My Goblin Dogs... My precious... _Precious_ Goblin Dogs... They're gone..."

Marco frowned. "...Can't you just get a new one?" he asked.

Roy huffed. "That is such an insensitive question to ask. Also- Yes. But... When it's destroyed by a fellow Food Trucker... It's kinda different. There's kind of a rule of 'Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers'. Which means... Now he owns the rights to my Goblin Dogs truck and my special spot... And with how unpopular Goblin Dogs have been lately... There's no way they'll issue me a new one. ...I'm gonna wind up stuck at an 'Elve's Eclair's' or something, I _know_ it..." he muttered.

"Is better than melting in bubbly sludge..." muttered Buff Frog.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Pfft- You're only saying that 'cuz you haven't ever had to work there. Trust me- it's the single most painful, _wretched_ nightmare you could possibly imagine." he muttered.

Noticing the small figure of Troy laughing loudly to himself, Kelly adjusted her glasses in thought. "...Hey, can you hear what that little guy is saying up there?" she asked.

Roy sighed. "...He's bragging and stuff. Also- ' _little_ guy'? He's just as tall as _I_ am, thank you very much."

"I stand by my previous statement." said Kelly.

Standing on the roof of his truck, Troy finally calming his hysterical laughter to a low giggle. "Alright... Operation complete. Huh... You know... Now that I think about it... It doesn't feel quite as fulfilling as I thought it would... Oh, well... If this isn't enough, I guess I'll just try and take over the universe and stuff. Yeah... That sounds cool." he muttered, as he put his hand on the lever attached to the cannon. "Welp-... Guess it's time to put an end to the water-works... It's been fun. Maybe I'll use this thing on any customers who dare displease me..." he muttered. With a slight grunt, he pulled at the lever- only for it to break off in his hands.

Looking down at the lever, and then back up at the cannon, he gulped.

"Oh... Oh, that's not good." he muttered.

All of a sudden, the cannon began to loudly whir again, as the tubes connecting it to the truck began to glow brightly. On the ground, Marco, Buff Frog, Kelly and Roy looked up just in time to see the cannon start moving around erratically. With a high pitched yell, the group quickly split apart just as a torrent of sugary acid was sent spraying toward them.

After tumbling backwards and landing perfectly on her feet, Kelly looked up at the cannon and grit her teeth. "The cannon's gone crazy!" she yelled, as the cannon continued spraying all over the place- covering large pieces of land in liquid and dissolving it. With an annoyed sigh, Kelly buried her hand in her hair. "We-... We gotta stop it! Before it dissolves _everything_!" she announced, as she pulled a sword as big as she was out of her hair. After taking a moment to take a calm breath, Kelly lifted her sword up over her head and gave a loud war cry as she ran toward the cannon.

"Wait- Kelly!" yelled Marco.

"She is right, Karate Boy! There are other food trucks with other monsters nearby!" said Buff Frog, before leaping toward the cannon with a loud war cry of his own.

Marco watched as Kelly jumped on to one of the trucks enormous wheels, and bounced herself up to the cannon. With another loud yell, she swung her sword around and into the cannon. Only for her sword to simply bounce off. Undeterred, she tried again- this time stabbing down on what appeared to be the cannon's controls. The cannon paused for a moment- and then started jolting around even more erratically.

"Oops- That's my bad." said Kelly.

Buff Frog landed on the side of the truck and grabbed at one of the tubes connecting the cannon to the truck. "Maybe if we pull these off- She will stop!" yelled Buff Frog, as he pulled against the tube as best he could.

Kelly nodded. "It's worth a shot!" she yelled.

Marco watched them with an anxious expression on his face, his feet firmly rooted to the ground.

"...Aren't you gonna try and help your buddies?" asked Roy.

"Shut up, Roy." said Marco, his voice betraying an odd sense of calm. Roy did as he was told, as Marco took a long, deep breath. Then, all of a sudden- he had an idea. Lifting Roy up to his face, Marco gave him a serious look. "...Don't do anything stupid." he said, before setting Roy down on the ground.

"...You too, I guess." muttered Roy.

With another quick breath, Marco ran toward the truck with his dimensional scissors held tightly in his hand. "Guys! I'm gonna try something!" he yelled, as he norrowly avoided a powerful stream of acid. Climbing up the monster trucks wheel, Marco bounced off of it and onto the roof of the truck. "Buff Frog! Do you think you could throw me into the air!?" he yelled.

"Yes, but-" Buff Frog began, only to be interrupted.

"Do it! Throw me straight up, in front of the truck!" he yelled.

Buff Frog swung himself up from the tubes and landed on the roof of the truck. Standing with his legs widened, Buff Frog lowered himself down and offered Marco his hands. "Stand on my hands, and I will throw you up as best I can!" he yelled. As Marco slowly got up on to Buff Frogs hands, Kelly looked up at him with a confused look on her face.

"What're you doing?" yelled Kelly.

"Uh-... Potentially risking being bathed in some kinda super acid?" muttered Marco.

"Don't die!" yelled Kelly.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try my best... Do it Buff Frog!" yelled Marco.

Buff Frog launched Marco into the air, just as the cannon swung around to knock him off the roof. Bouncing off of one of the trucks big wheels, Buff Frog came very close to landing in a puddle of acid. In the air, Marco was doing his best to avoid acid as well- which mostly meant flailing around a lot. As the cannon swung around again, Marco thrust his scissors into the air. There was a loud rip, as a large dimensional portal opened up as he fell to the ground.

Landing with a loud 'thud', Marco grimaced as he felt the wind get knocked out of him. Struggling desperately to get to his feet, Marco took a few deep breaths. "Ke-... Kelly! Open-... Open the door of the truck! Can you get it turned on!?" he yelled.

Kelly quickly swung over to the door of the truck and tried to open it. Finding it locked, Kelly simply stabbed it with her sword and ripped it away. "Yeah! The keys are in the ignition!" she yelled.

"Great! Turn it on, and put something heavy on the gas pedal!" yelled Marco.

Kelly turned the keys, and the truck slowly grumbled to life. After shoving her sword into her hair, she reached inside once more and produced a large dumbbell. Looking around at the pedals for a moment, she found one marked 'Go' and set the dumbbell down on it. As the truck began to move forward, Kelly quickly jumped out.

Marco huffed as he felt his ribs scream in pain. Then- he noticed that the truck was now barreling straight toward him. With a high pitched yell, Marco jumped to the side just in time for the truck to drive into the large interdimensional portal he had opened.

Somewhere very close to the Earth's sun, the truck suddenly burst out of a portal and slowly floated into the fire.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh of relief, as he collapsed to the ground. Breathing heavily, he felt something touch his shoulders. Slowly turning himself over, he found that it was Kelly and Buff Frog.

"You did it!" said Kelly, her face bursting with enthusiasm.

Buff Frog nodded, slowly. "Yes. Very good job, Karate Boy." he said.

Marco gave a pained chuckle as Buff Frog and Kelly helped him to his feet. "...I couldn't have done it without you guys..." he said. "...Unfortunately, it's not quite over yet. Buff Frog... Can you launch me up so I can close the portal? But this time... I think I'd like you to catch me."

Buff Frog smiled. "Yes. Sure thing, Karate Boy."

After successfully closing the portal and landing with a slightly less painful 'thud' in Buff Frogs arms, Marco groaned. "...Okay. Now it's done..." he muttered. "I... I just hope Heckapoo doesn't get mad at me for opening such a big portal..."

Breathing a collective sigh of relief, Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly sat back down at the picnic table to collect themselves. After wiping at his sweaty face with his dirt covered hoodie, Marco looked up at the sky. The sun had set, and the area around them was now being lit by the dull glow of two golden moons.

"...Okay. That's done. So-... Where were we?" asked Kelly.

Buff Frog and Marco stared at her for a moment.

Kelly smiled. And in an instant, all three of them suddenly burst into laughter. None of them really knew why- it was probably a mixture of the adrenalin still coursing through their veins, along with feeling totally emotionally exhausted. Either way, in that moment, the three of them felt a strong bond form between them.

Unfortunately, their moment of elation was soon interrupted.

"Whoah! Did you guys catch that!? Those three... They just wrestled a silver acid spitting dragon!" yelled a voice in the distance. Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly blinked as a group of creatures of all shapes and sizes started appearing all around them.

"No way, man! It was a silver snake that was projectile _vomiting_ the acid! I mean duh- Haven't you ever read a _book_!?" came another voice.

"What does book readin' have to do with it? We were all pretty far away..." said another.

All of a sudden, Roy jumped up on to one of the creatures heads and bounced off it, landing with a flourish on the picnic table in the middle of Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly. "Welcome, ladies, gentlemen and other! What you just saw was one of my competitors being bested by none other than the Goblin Dogs official mascots! The Tremendous Trio!" he exclaimed.

"Wow!" exclaimed a voice from the crowd. "Is there any way for us to purchase merchandise displaying these characters and show support for the company and or product they represent?"

Roy grinned, as he produced a pile of t-shirts seemingly out of nowhere. "So glad you asked! Come over here for you complementary 'Tremendous Trio' T-Shirts! Wear one and receive one Goblin Dog during your next visit for only _full_ price!"

"Wow! Full price! How reasonable!" exclaimed a voice from the crowd.

Kelly slowly leaned over toward Marco. "...Is he... Is he throwing his voice?" she whispered.

Marco could only shrug.

"But that's not all! Check out these special video's of the entire event! Available on DVD or Magical Rune for only three money units! Whatever money units you like!" exclaimed Roy.

"...Wait- How'd you film all that stuff?" asked a voice from the crowd.

Roy snorted. "Well, I've got every inch of this place outfitted with magic cameras and microphones. _Obviously_." he said.

The crowd seemed to all nod and agree, before quickly forming a line in front of the table. As Roy began handing out t-shirts and DVD's, Marco slowly leaned toward him. "...What are you doing?" whispered Marco.

Roy shrugged. "Well, I dunno-... I guess I decided to try and take all your advice to heart... And try to build somethin' new. So-... I think I'm gonna try and build my very own Goblin Dog restaurant. Having mascots is just the first step." he said.

Marco scratched his head as he noticed the crudely drawn versions of Buff Frog, Kelly and himself printed on every t-shirt.

"...I see." he muttered.

"Don't worry- I'll make sure all three of you get royalty checks in compensation for using your likeness. And for saving my life, I guess. It's only fair." said Roy.

Marco blinked, slowly. '...Huh... So-... Now I'm 'Princess Turdina' and... A member of the 'Tremendous Trio'? ...That's... Pretty cool.' he thought.

Buff Frog frowned a little. "Er-... I am not being sure that I want my likeness being used to sell things..." he muttered.

Roy paused for a moment to rummage around in his pockets and produced three small pieces of paper. Roy quickly gave one each to Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly before spinning around again to continue handing out t-shirts. "Here's your first cheque's... Have fun an' stuff..." muttered Roy. "Oh- and... Don't worry- I removed all of that 'heartfelt conversation' stuff from the footage. Nobody likes seein' people talk _forever_ like that..."

Buff Frog glanced down at the check, and his eyes suddenly bugged out of his skull. "Woah!" he exclaimed. "...My- My Buff Babies... They can go to expensive Monster University... And-... And they'll be able to eat _every_ day!"

Marco smiled, before looking over at Kelly. "...How do you feel about this?" he asked.

Kelly thoughtfully stroked her chin as she stared down at the cheque. "I feel... Like I could get an _amazing_ sword with this thing..." she said, with a bright grin.

Buff Frog walked around the table and wrapped Marco and Kelly in each of his arms. "This-... This is amazing day! I am so _happy_!" he exclaimed, as he gave Marco and Kelly a strong squeeze. "...But most of all- I am happy to have made new friend... And to have reunited once again with an old one. Shrubbery Girl... Karate Boy... I am being eternally grateful."

Marco and Kelly shared bright smiles.

"Yeah... Me too." said Marco.

"And me three." Kelly added as she stashed her cheque in her hair.

The 'Tremendous Trio' laughed together and signed autographs for their sudden adoring crowd for about an hour, before Buff Frog looked up at the moons and made a noise. "...I am being sorry, friends. It is past dinner time, and I must get back to Buff Babies." he said, before turning to face Marco and Kelly. "...Karate Boy. Please remember to talk to me and Shrubbery Girl before wandering around aimlessly and falling asleep on picnic bench. Shrubbery Girl... The same. Do not ever forget that, no matter what- you will always have people out there who care about you."

Marco and Kelly gave Buff Frog a smile- before suddenly finding themselves squeezed together by Buff Frogs powerful arms.

"I am meaning this. You are both still kids... With much in the future to be looking forward to. Do not sadness keep you down forever. Remember that there is always another path." said Buff Frog.

Marco and Kelly slowly and awkwardly returned Buff Frog's mighty hug. As they watched him open a dimensional portal and disappear, Marco and Kelly waved goodbye with smiles on their faces. When Buff Frog disappeared, their smiles slowly faded- but not completely.

With Buff Frog gone, Marco and Kelly walked away from the long line of people collecting merchandise from Roy and made their way down a long dirt road. The area around them was covered in patches of dissolved dirt, and they both had to do their best to avoid any leftover puddles of sugary acid.

"Today turned out to be a lot cooler than I thought." said Kelly. "Do things always get so crazy when you're around?"

Marco shrugged. "...You know... I used to think that Star was the cause of it-... But... She did come to _me_... So-... Well, who knows?." he said.

Kelly smiled. "Yeah... Who knows..." she muttered. Taking a deep breath, Kelly stretched her arms out in front of her and then let out her breath with a heavy sigh. "...I'd better head home too. My folks have been kinda worried about me recently... I'd better not worry 'em to much more." she said.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "...Your, uh... Your a little scuffed up... Won't that make them worry?"

Kelly laughed and shook her head. "Nuh-uh. They'll just think I've been out sparring... Or exploring. Either way... I think they'll be relieved to see me doin' stuff that's a little more... Me. Not just hanging around places and wondering what to do with myself." she said.

Marco smiled. "Yeah..." he muttered.

In one smooth motion, Kelly pulled a small pair of dimensional scissors out of her hair and opened a portal for himself. Marco paused for a moment as he watched her, a curious look on his face.

"Hey- Do you mind if I ask... How did you get your dimensional scissors?" asked Marco.

Kelly shrugged. "Oh, I just use the family scissors. Most people I know have scissors that've been handed down a couple of generations." she said.

"...Huh. Okay."

"Why do you ask?"

"Hm? Oh- Just... Curious, I guess."

Kelly gave a short chuckle. "Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting your not a Mewman like Star... I guess a lot of this stuff is even _crazier_ for you, huh?" she asked.

Marco smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. But... I've gotten used to it. ...Mostly. ...Kinda." he said.

Kelly laughed again. After exchanging goodbyes, Kelly turned to leave- only to suddenly pause. Turning around again, she met Marco's eyes with a serious look on her face. Taking a step forward, she considered hugging him. After considering it for a moment, however, she decided instead to simply place her hand on his shoulder again.

"...Marco. I'm-... I'm gonna do my best to remember what Buff Frog said before he left. ...You should too. Okay?" she said.

Marco sighed. "...Honestly, I don't know if I can promise you anything more than... That I'll try. It's, uh-... It's a lot easier to just... Fall back on negative patterns and stuff..." he muttered, as he rubbed the back of his head. "...But-... I will try. And I mean that. I-... I'd definitely like to hang out with you and Buff Frog again. We... We make a good team."

Kelly smiled. "...Definitely. I'll see you soon, Marco Ubaldo Diaz." she said.

Marco returned her smile and gave a short nod. "Yeah. Definitely. Kelly-... Uh... Wait, I don't know your last name..." he muttered.

Kelly chuckled. "Nope! You sure don't." she said, in a playful tone. Chuckling lightly to herself, Kelly gave Marco another wave goodbye and then disappeared into her portal.

Alone again, Marco took a slow, deep breath. Enjoying the brief feeling of happiness in the air. It wasn't going to last... But for the first time in a while... Marco felt... Good.

After standing there for a little while longer, Marco finally pulled out his own scissors and left.

Somewhere off in the distance, Troy suddenly popped up from behind a rock, thoughtfully rubbing his moustache. "...Well-... Looks like... I lost my truck... And inadvertently helped my mortal enemy possibly take a step up in his career. So... That's a set back." he muttered. "I wonder if that's a sign that I should stop holding bitter grudges and try and grow in order to become the best goblin I can be.

After thinking for a moment, he gave a short shrug.

"...Nah."

* * *

Marco stepped into his room with a heavy sigh. It was pitch black, save for the dull glow of the moons pouring in through his window. As he slowly slid out of his hoodie, he felt something in his pants pocket. Scratching his head, he walked over and turned on the light switch. It took a moment for the light to flicker to life, but when it did Marco was quick to pull the retrieve the mystery item from his pocket.

Holding it out in front of himself, Marco smiled.

'The Tremendous Trio' was printed across the front with hastily scrawled penmanship. Below, was a crudely drawn picture of their faces. Marco was in the middle, with Kelly and Buff Frog's smiling faces printed on either side of his. Below the faces, were small messages written in black marker.

'Visit me & buff babies. They miss you! Signed, Yvgeny Bulgolyubov.'

'Let's try sparring sometime! Would love to see the sword hand dance in action! - Kelly.'

Marco smiled as he read them. All of a sudden, he felt an incredible wave of emotion rise up from his chest. Taking a deep breath, he noticed another message written underneath the other two.

'Thank you. For everything. You've changed my life. All three of you. I will always be grateful. - Roy'

Marco blinked for a moment. "...That's... Kinda... Unexpected..." he muttered. He stared at it for a few seconds and smiled. He had honestly not expected Roy to give anything close to heartfelt thanks. And as he read it again, he couldn't help but chuckle a little.

He had made a difference for someone.

For some reason... That seemed to touch a special place in his heart. Looking down at the shirt, he felt tears well up in his eyes. He considered wiping them away at first. But instead... He just let them fall.

"...Thanks you guys. Thanks _so_ much..." he muttered.

Then, all of a sudden- there was a knock at the door. And Marco instantly froze. It was as if he had suddenly been ripped out of a beautiful dream and then thrust into cold, hard reality. His heart skipped a beat, as a familiar voice emanated from behind his bedroom door.

"Marco? Is that you?"

"...Star." Marco muttered, his voice catching in his throat and he felt his heart flutter and then start to sink. Hearing her voice instantly brought a barrage of emotions, almost all of them happy enough to make him blush with embarrassment. But tinged with an all too familiar sense of sadness.

Clearing his throat, and taking a deep breath, Marco did his best to collect himself.

"...Star." he repeated. "Yeah, it's me."

"Good. For a second there, I thought it mighta been some kinda snail burglar."

"...Snail burglar?"

"Yeah. They're just like the regular kind, but... _Slimy_."

Marco chuckled.

"Is that a real thing, or are you practicing for another 'funny-off' with Fool-Duke?" he asked.

"Can't it be both?"

Marco and Star shared a laugh, and Marco felt a vice begin to tighten around his heart.

"...So, what's up?" asked Marco.

"...Can I come in?"

Marco blinked, and looked down at himself. He was drenched in sweat and dirt- and parts of his clothes were covered in holes. Apparently, he had a few more close calls with the acid than he thought.

"Uh-... Not right now. I'm uh... I'm in the middle of changing into my jammy-jams." said Marco.

"...Oh." said Star. "Well... I was just gonna say... Tom and I are about to head to the dining hall for dinner with Mom and Dad. Are you coming?"

Marco clenched his teeth. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by thorns, as wave after wave of jealousy, frustration, and shame slammed into him with terrible force. Taking a short breath, he did his best to collect himself. It had been a few weeks since she had personally invited him to eat with them... And a little longer than that since it had last actually happened.

Star had been incredibly busy. Tom too. And the Queen and King. It felt like everyone had so much going on in their lives... Except for him.

Marco squeezed the t-shirt in his hands and took a breath.

"...Sorry, Star. I'm-... Well, I kinda had a long, exhausting day..." with every word, it got more and more painful to speak. He wasn't lying to her exactly... But it still hurt to say. "...So... I think I'm just... Gonna go to bed."

"Oh... Okay!" said Star, in her usual cheery voice.

Something about it felt like a dagger in his chest. Marco grit his teeth as he silently hated himself for all of the feelings coursing through his body.

'You're such a jerk, Marco Diaz...' he told himself. ' _Why_... Why can't you just _stop_? Just-... Just...'

Marco took a sharp, painful breath and shook his head.

"Maybe next time, then. Tom and I have been working on this thing where we throw food at each others faces- it's kinda supposed to be like an extreme version of the whole 'feeding each other' thing. ...We're not really supposed to use stuff like soup or extra hot spicy peppers, though. We found out the hard way that that's... A bad idea. Anyway- maybe next time we'll have a tournament and you can judge who does the best job!" said Star.

Marco smiled a little, and nodded.

"...That sounds fun. ...Yeah. Maybe... Maybe next time..." he muttered.

"Yeah..." said Star. There was a brief pause, as they both seemed to wonder what to say next.

"...Goodnight, Marco!"

"...Godnight, Star."

And with that, she was gone.

Marco felt his legs go weak, and he had to lean against to door to keep himself from falling. Tears were forming in his eyes, and his brain had been reduced to mush. His mind swirled around in a painful, hazy blur as a made his way over to his bed and collapsed into it. It took a little while for him to piece himself together enough for him to string together a cogent thought. And when he finally did, most of them were about how deeply he loathed both himself, and the feelings he had that seemed to rattle him to his core at a moments notice.

Marco wiped his face on his pillow, and took deep, shaky breath.

'...I love you, Star. I love you so much... That I honestly can't picture my life without you in it. I love you so much that it keeps me awake at night. It haunts me... It terrifies me... It makes me feel wretched and disgusting... And it makes me feel like I could do anything in the world. And-... I'm sorry. Sorry that... That I'm such a useless friend... And squire...'

Marco pushed his face deeper into his pillow, as he felt an all to familiar sadness take over him.

'...I know you're better off without me. That's why... That's why I hate myself so much for wanting to be by your side. Because I want something that I absolutely don't deserve.'

His body trembled for a few seconds, before finally going limp.

Marco slowly turned over onto his back and breathed a deep sigh.

"How... How much of that is true? And-... And how much of that is... Just my brain?" he wondered, aloud. "Will I... Will I ever know?"

Marco held the 'Tremendous Trio' shirt out in front of himself and stared at it for a moment.

"...You guys. ...Thanks for... For letting me be your friend. I think-... I think I really need it."

* * *

 _Marco clawed his way through the darkness._

 _He was formless._

 _Lost._

 _But as he struggled through the dark, he felt something in the pit of his chest._

 _The darkness was pressing against him with incredible force. It made it hard to move, or breathe, or even think._

 _But the feeling in his chest lingered. It would not be smothered._

 _Pain screamed from every part of his body, but still- he reached out. Every part of him wanted to stop. To lay down and allow himself the peace of finally disappearing._

 _But he wouldn't let himself._

 _Not again._

 _Because all of a sudden, he had remembered something. That somewhere out there... There was a helping hand reaching out to him._

 _All he had to do was reach out..._

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

( ** _AN_** : So... That was long. And took effort. Let me just... Take a minute...

*whew*

Alright, I'm done! So, after receiving some very kind and complimentary reviews for 'My Dinner with Buff Frog', I decided to try my hand at a follow-up. Which, you probably already figured out- since you just read it. I'd just like to thank all the people who were nice enough to read and review that story. In particular, I'd love to thank _**robertkellett**_ and **_Kirdei Antares_** for being incredibly kind and supportive. **_robertkellett_ **in particular for being kind and patient enough to be willing to discuss this story at length, and put up with me via email. And of course- I'd also like to thank anyone who read _this_ one. It's probably too long and too slow... But I liked writing it, and I hope you enjoyed my effort.

I do hope to continue this story... And I do have a pretty extensive plan of attack for it. But it'll probably depend on what people think of this first chapter. If no-one's interested, I might just leave it as another one-shot. So please leave a review or a comment to let me know whether or not I should!

Thanks again for reading this. It truly does mean a lot to me, and I hope you liked it.

Have a good day!)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Back to Earth

"HOW DID THINGS GO SOUTH SO _FAST_!?"

Marco's voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of another explosion, followed quickly by a deafening roar. Marco slid across the floor, narrowly avoiding a wave of angry flying books. He barely had enough time to get back to his feet before he found himself jumping to the side and narrowly avoiding a heavy swing by an enormous axe-wielding suit of armor.

An enormous ball of fire filled the air above, as Tom flew around yelling angrily. As he darted through the flames, he soon found himself weaving around a barrage of flying chairs, staplers, loose pieces of paper and pencils. All of the seemingly random office supplies were outfitted with a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth, and small black wings. The chairs snarled, the staplers screamed and the pencils roared as they quickly filled the air and began swirling around Tom.

Tom gave an angry yell as his entire body suddenly exploded into another massive ball of fire, turning everything around him into ash.

On the ground, Star was launching spell after spell at an incredible rate as she jumped, leaped and punched her way through an army of heavily armored creatures. After narrowly avoiding a few swipes and jabs from various swords and claws, Star jumped backward and launched herself off a wall in order to land a spinning kick directly into one of the creatures faces. As the creature stumbled backward, looking dazed, Star put her wand in her mouth and held it between her teeth before leaping on top of the creature and using it as a springboard to launch herself higher into the air.

Flailing wildly, Star only barely managed to grab a hold of the bookshelf high up on the wall. Wasting no time, she immediately began scurrying upward. As she climbed the bookshelf, the armored creatures quickly began piling up on each other underneath her and were soon making their way up the bookshelf to give chase. Star angrily kicked at the creatures as they began to swipe at her heels. Eventually, she made it to the top of the shelf. After pulling her wand out of her mouth, she quickly began to jump from the top of one enormous bookshelf to another, as Tom continued to weave around in the air- as a new wave of office supplies seemed to rise up out of nowhere.

Marco ran across the floor as quickly as he could, narrowly dodging and weaving as everything around him seemed to close in on him at once.

Star, Tom, and Marco were in the middle of their sixth excursion to a magical library. At first, it looked like the library had been abandoned- and for a moment, it looked like they were in for a quiet day as the three of them split up in search of any information they could find on Eclipsa the Queen of Darkness.

All of their previous efforts at 'library hunting' had ultimately proven fruitless. They had found no new information and instead gotten chased by cursed books and crazy librarians. It was beginning to seem like a useless endeavor. And so, Star had decided that this 'library hunt' would be their last one. And of course, it had quickly proven itself to be by far the craziest.

As Marco ran from the large axe-wielding suit of armor, he quickly found himself being chased by a wave of armored creatures. All he could do was continue to run through bookshelf after bookshelf, narrowly avoiding spears and arrows as he did so. Eventually, Marco could himself cornered in a tightly packed area, filled with piles of books and a loose collection of papers. The piles were all big enough to touch the ceiling, and they all seemed to be threatening to collapse under their own weight at any moment.

Marco grimaced as he spun around to find the army of armored creatures slowly closing in on him. He was trapped in a dead end, surrounded by impossibly tall piles of books and papers. Marco took a short breath, as he struggled to think. His mind and his heart were racing at an incredible pace, making it difficult to focus.

Suddenly, one of the creatures launched itself at him. It looked like a crazed ball of limbs flying every direction, as its claws shredded every book it passed on its way toward Marco. Marco had no time to think. So, acting on pure instinct, he positioned his feet as best he could and met the flying creature with his fist.

There was a loud 'crack' as his fist connected with the creatures armor plating, and Marco gave a pained yell through clenched teeth as he felt his hand explode with pain. However, surprisingly his fist was not what made the loud 'cracking' sound. Marco blinked with surprise as the creature suddenly exploded upon impact- as if he had just punched through a giant egg.

And just like if he had just punched through a giant egg, he suddenly found himself covered in slimy goo. Marco blinked, as he looked down at the pile of greenish black goo and pieces of shattered armor.

Then, he howled in pain as his hand suddenly reminded him how much pain he was in. Looking at his hand, he was relieved to see that he could still move his fingers- which likely meant that he hadn't broken it. He had, however, managed to cut an bruise it against the creatures dull grey armor. Marco quickly buried his hand into the pocket of his hoodie.

Ahead of him, the armored creatures had suddenly paused their attack- having been made weary after Marco's sudden show of force.

Marco took that opportunity to look down at the shattered remains of the armor, and stomp on a piece- breaking it into big pieces. Marco frowned. '...It's like it's made out of ceramic or something... What kinda armor is this...' he thought. '...Maybe it's just gotten brittle after laying around for who knows how long...'

Turning his gaze back to the creatures, Marco took a few more breaths. From what little he could see of the creatures actual bodies through gaps in their armor, it looked like they were all made out of the same black and green goo. Inside their helmets, Marco could see yellow eyes glowing somewhat ominously. Some of them had two yellow eyes, while others had one big one, and others still had anywhere from three to a dozen. All of their armor was in different shapes and sizes, but they all had the same dull grey color as the one he had just broken with his bare fist.

Marco took a deep breath. If he used his hands and feet, he could probably break a few more of them- but there was no way he could take down so many of them. He would likely wind up breaking all of his limbs pretty quickly, and then it'd be all over.

So- what could he do?

His dimensional scissors seemed to have stopped working as soon as he entered the building. The same had been true of Star's wand- at least at first. Tom and Star had managed to find an enormous crystal embedded in the ceiling that had apparently been blocking Star's magic. But- for some reason, it didn't seem to work on Tom's.

Tom had managed to destroy the crystal just after they were attacked by the large axe-wielding suit of armor. Once he had done that, it seemed for a moment like everything was going to be okay. Then, parts of the walls and ceiling began opening up and turning into mouths filled with teeth and tentacles. And then the waves of evil office supplies showed up. Then the armored creatures, and the-

Another deafening roar ripped through the air, making the entire massive library tremble under its force.

Marco grimaced.

There was also a _dragon_. Because apparently everything else just wasn't enough.

Marco shook his head. Destroying the crystal had made Star's wand work again- but not his dimensional scissors. Which meant that portaling was off the table. The entrance had also been sealed by a magical barrier, making escape seem impossible.

Marco grit his teeth as the hoard of armored creatures continued to close in on him. Star would find a way to break through the barrier so that they could escape- he was sure of it. All he had to do was survive until then.

Looking around at the enormous stacks of books all around him, Marco could feel a plan start to form in his mind. It wasn't a particularly smart- but it looked to be the best option he had on such short notice. As the horde of armored creatures began to move faster and faster toward him, Marco turned to one of the tall stacks of books beside him and began to push against it. When the stack failed to move, Marco let out an impatient grunt before spinning around and landing a heavy kick into the base of the stack. Part of the stack began to wobble, and it didn't take long for the wobbling to start to spread outward.

Marco gulped. '...I hope that's enough...' he thought.

The hoard of armored creatures let out a high pitched battle cry as they finally reached Marco. Marco ignored them for as long as he could, keeping his focus on the tall stack of books all around them. Suddenly, there was another explosion- and the pile of books that had already begun to wobble were finally sent over the edge. As the enormous stack of books began to collapse into the others, Marco leaped into the air. Avoiding a vast array of claws, swords, and axes, Marco jumped from the head on one armored creature to the other in a desperate scramble to escape the dead end before he was crushed by books.

Behind him, enormous piles of books began to collapse into each other at an increasingly fast rate. There were no thoughts running through Marco's mind at that moment- only an incredible surge of adrenalin. Behind him, the armored creatures that he had used as stepping stones were already being crushed by piles of books. And as all of his surroundings began to collapse at once, all he could do was push himself to move even faster in order to avoid the same fate.

It didn't take long for him to see the clearing up ahead, but it felt like an eternity. Just ahead was the main library hall. All he had to do was avoid the clawed hands grabbing at his legs as he jumped from one creature to the next. Just as he jumped from the last in the long line of armored creatures, he felt a set of claws catch his leg. Marco grimaced, but he had no time to think about it- as he soon found himself landing with a loud 'thud' on a large table, bouncing off it, and then being sent tumbling across the floor.

Marco wasted no time in getting back to his feet, just in time to watch the last of the impossibly tall stacks of books collapse, leaving the hoard of armored creatures crushed in a seemingly uncountable number of books.

Marco looked down at his leg and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. There was no blood- a good sign. As he turned his attention back to the pile of books, he felt his injured hand twitch with pain. Frowning a little, he was about to give it a closer inspection when he noticed a sudden blur of motion in the corner of his eye.

Marco jumped to the side just in time to avoid an enormous giant axe that seemed to have fallen from the shadows. The axe split the table in front of him and embedded itself into the floor. Marco breathed a heavy sigh as he watched an enormous suit of armor reach out and pull the axe out of the floor.

"Oh, come _on_..." he muttered.

As the enormous suit of armor raised its axe to try again, Marco ran forward between the suit of armors legs and kept moving as quickly as his legs would take him. Angry office supplies swooped down at him as he ran, and it didn't take long for him to come across another small group of armored creatures.

Above, Tom continued to fly around burning away anything that was stupid enough to get close. As he weaved around in the air, he suddenly found himself narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of a giant golden dragon. The dragon looked like a hulking mass of muscle and thick golden scales that seemed to glow as it flew through the air. Its face was gnarled and mean, and it had three enormous horns jutting out of its head. One smaller one protruding from its forehead, and two large horns that seemed to curl around the base of its skull like a boney crown.

As the dragon unleashed a torrent of bright golden flame, Tom barely managed to weave around it- yelling angrily as he did so. "Ow! That's _hot_! And it hurts! How!? How does it _hurt_!? You got some kind special dragon flame thing goin' on or something!?" he yelled, as he narrowly the dragons teeth once more. The dragon seemed uninterested in answers Tom's loud questioning, and instead launched another massive torrent of golden flame.

"Will you _quit_ it!? You're making me look bad over here!" yelled Tom. "Why can't you just be one of those 'wise _old_ dragons' that don't ever actually _do_ anything!?"

Suddenly, the golden dragon swooped to the side in order to avoid a blast of giant narwhals.

"Tom!" exclaimed Star, standing on Cloudy as she rose into the air. "Stop yelling at it! You're only gonna make it madder!"

"Sorry, Starship..." said Tom, as he flew over to her. "I was kinda going for a whole 'make it mad so that it stops thinking clearly' thing- but... You're right. It's, uh-... It's not really working out that well."

Star grabbed onto Cloudy as she pulled them both out of the way of another swarm of office supplies. "Yeah, I kinda think the dragon's angry enough already... You got any other idea's?" she asked.

"I don't know... Why don't you try bustin' out that 'butterfly-form' thing I've heard so much about?" asked Tom.

Star slowly shook her head. "...Sorry." she said, before jumping off of Cloudy just in time to avoid another swoop of angry office supplies. Star landed on Cloudy somewhat ungracefully and took a moment to collect herself before guiding Cloudy to fly closer to Tom. "...For some reason, I can't really get 'Butterfly Star' working right now... Anything else?"

"Well... You could try freezing it, maybe?" asked Tom, as he weaved his way around the dragon, narrowly avoiding a swipe from its tail.

Star quickly steadied herself on cloudy and held her wand out in front of her. "Okay, sure! You might wanna get outta the way first?!" she yelled. Tom quickly flew away from the dragon, leaving lines of fire in the air in his wake.

"Uh-... Super Freeze Over _Explosion_!" yelled Star, before a massive burst of blue energy leaped out of her wand. The blue energy quickly surrounded the golden dragon- and for a moment, as it began to form ice began to form around the dragon, it seemed like it was going to work. Then, the dragon opened its mouth- and took a deep breath, quickly inhaling any trace of the blue magical energy, along with a few shards of ice.

Star blinked, as the dragon gave a satisfied burp before swooping down towards her.

"Okay- That's not good!" she exclaimed, as Cloudy sped through the air as fast as it could, leaving a long rainbow in its wake.

"Star!" exclaimed Tom. As he joined Star in the air, they both began to weave around in a spiral as they continued to avoid the dragon's jaws. As they flew together, they left streams of fire and rainbow co-mingling in the air, making for a beautiful scene.

"Alright, let's start coming up with a Plan B- okay, Starship?" asked Tom, as he flew closer to Star.

Star smiled. "Yeah!" she exclaimed, her voice bursting with excitement.

On the ground, Marco had managed to find a shield lying on the ground and was currently using it to block an attack from a wave of angry office supplies. For over quite a while now, he had done nothing but run, jump and dodge things- and it was definitely taking its toll. His entire body was soaked with sweat and greenish-black slime- and his body was running almost entirely on adrenalin at this point.

It was getting more and more difficult to keep going, and he could already feel his movements begin to grow sluggish. Marco did his best to pace himself, but being attacked from all sides all at once made it more than a little difficult for him to find the time to catch his breath.

Marco grit his teeth as he pushed himself forward. Running across the floor and using his newly acquired shield as a battering ram to break his way through any armored creatures that got in his way. Once again, their armor shattered into pieces, sending globs of blackish green goo flying all over the place. As he ran with his shield held up to block another wave of angry office supplies, Marco suddenly found himself slipping around on the freshly goo covered floor.

Marco grimaced as he struggled to stay on his feet. The library was barely lit, making it extremely difficult to navigate. For the most part, Marco had been using the dull orange glow from Tom's fire above to make his way around. Every now and again, he'd trip or bump into something- and then have to stave off another attack while he struggled to get back on his feet.

Eventually, Marco found himself stumbling into a small dark room. And for a moment, he thought that he had found a place to finally stop and take a breath. Then, there was a sudden flash of light. Marco gave a frustrated growl as he quickly rubbed his eyes. Behind him, he heard a loud 'click'.

Marco did his best to force his eyes to adjust, before slowly turning around to find that the door he had just entered through was now closed- and covered in giant silver chains.

Marco sighed. And as he turned around again, he couldn't help but breath an even heavier sigh.

The room was smaller than he originally thought, and every surface was colored a dull white. Hundreds of golden symbols began to light up on the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. And Marco watched as each symbol began to move- floating around freely on each white surface before meeting in the middle to swirl around in massive circles. In the middle of the room sat an enormous crystal casing with a floating golden orb inside. The orb was emitting so much light that it was difficult to look at directly.

None of that was what made Marco breathe his second sigh, of course. In fact, even to a relatively experienced adventurer like himself, his surroundings looked rather stunning. What had caused the sigh was the fact that the room was filled with at least a dozen armored creatures. And they all had their glowing yellow 'eyes' trained on him.

And he was trapped.

Marco frowned in thought as the armored creatures began to close in on him, each one of them brandishing a large, deadly weapon. Some of them were holding enormous spiked maces, others were holding pairs of serrated swords, and a few more appeared to be brandishing a large spear with a chainsaw hastily duct taped to the end.

Then, suddenly, something sparked in that back of Marco's head. He suddenly remembered something from a movie he had watched with Jackie several months ago. It had been an amazing movie, and an amazing night- one of the few truly enjoyable memories he had made during his time on Earth after Toffee's defeat. During his long 'croissant girl' phase.

Marco took a deep breath, as he felt a familiar sense of guilt and sadness raise up into his chest at the thought of Jackie. Marco did his best to shake off the negative feelings, and instead focus on his memory of the movie itself. There had been a particularly exhilarating action move somewhere in the beginning of the movie. And Marco remembered telling Jackie that if the situation ever presented itself, that he would try and do it himself. They had even made a bet about it.

Marco couldn't help but smile a little.

"It's kinda crazy when you think about it... But hey, if there's anyone I know who'd be able to pull that off... It'd be you, Marco."

His heart seemed to rise and sink at the same time as he remembered Jackie's voice. Shaking it off, Marco took a deep breath and held his shield out in front of him.

"Alright... Let's see if this'll work..." he muttered.

After taking a deep breath, Marco suddenly spun around and threw the shield like a disc. The shield quickly made contact with the first armored creature- and there was loud 'smash' as the shield bounced off of its chest, leaving an enormous crack in its wake. But, the shield didn't stop there. After ricocheting off the wall, it bounced off of another armored creature- bursting through the creature's helmet like it was nothing. The shield very quickly began to pinball all over the room, and Marco soon found himself having to duck out of its way.

The shield continued to bounce around for an impossibly long time, ripping through anything that got in its way. It burst through limbs and left cracks in their chest plating that would soon be turned into gaping holes when the shield finally made its way back for a returning visit. Eventually, the shield embedded itself into casing around the golden orb that sat in the middle of the room- and finally came to a stop.

Marco slowly stood himself up, and let out a low whistle as he looked over the thoroughly destroyed remains of the armored creatures. There was blackish green slime and pieces of armor strewn all over the place. It was actually a pretty grizzly sight, but Marco couldn't help but be impressed.

"That was so _cool_!" he exclaimed. Feeling a sudden surge of excitement, Marco spun around. "Star! Did you see-" Marco cut himself off as he suddenly remembered that he was standing alone. Outside, he could hear another deafening roar from the dragon, followed quickly by what sounded like Star yelling another spell.

"...Right..." he muttered. A wave of disappointment crashed in on him in an instant, quickly followed by a deep sense of shame. He was disappointed that Star had missed seeing him do something cool, and ashamed that he had wanted a moment to show off in front of her.

With a sad sigh, Marco slowly made his way toward the glowing golden orb and pulled the shield out the crystal barrier surrounding it.

"...What are you doing here?"

Marco had no time to react to the sound of the voice, as his arms and legs were suddenly bound by a thick papery material- and he suddenly found himself pulled back into a wall. There was a loud 'thud' as Marco's back slammed against the wall, and the impact left him dazed momentarily.

Suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, a girl was standing in front of him. She was wearing an open book on her head, and its long pages seemed to stretch out as if they were acting as her hair. Her skin was white and papery, and she was wearing a pair of circular glasses that were much too big for her face. Behind her glasses, she had four bright red eyes, two on each side of her face. She didn't appear to have a nose, which made the question of how her over-sized glasses were sitting on her face all the more vexing. And her mouth appeared to be filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth.

She was wearing tattered, grey robes that were covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. Her eyes were tired and angry, and it seemed clear that she had just been awoken from a very long sleep.

"...You've come for the knowledge, haven't you?" she spat. "Well, you'll never get it. I am Libraria- and it is my sole duty to protect the ancient knowledge that resides in this place."

Marco blinked. "...Libraria?"

The girl gave him a short nod. "Yes. Now- let me see what _your_ name is." she said. Just as Marco opened his mouth to offer it himself, the girl placed a hand on his forehead- and all of a sudden, his vision went blank. Flashes of memories began to play out in front of him, all at once- as Libraria seemed to reach inside of his mind and look around.

After a few short seconds, she pulled away- and Marco gasped as his vision quickly returned to him.

"Marco Ubaldo Diaz. You are from a dimension that exists far from the reach of the realm of magic... And yet your here. And why? Following around the new princess of Mewni like a lost _puppy_?" Libraria growled. "It's quite refreshing to find a being capable of grasping how pathetic and worthless it is all on its own... But I must say, it is also rather _unpleasant_. Have you ever considered therapy?"

Marco took a deep breath as he struggled to shake off the sick feeling of having someone look into the deepest parts of his mind without his permission. "...Look- just tell us if you know anything about Eclipsa... Or-... Or anything else about Mewni's history with the monsters... A-and... And then, we'll leave." he muttered.

Libraria's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so we feel as though we're in a position to make demands, do we?" she hissed. "Why don't I disabuse you that notion?"

Marco felt the retrains around his arms and legs tighten up, and Marco instinctively held his breath in anticipation. Suddenly, his entire body was engulfed in a painful burst of golden electricity. Marco screamed through clenched teeth as he was quickly overwhelmed by a powerful agony. Thankfully, it didn't last long- and Marco was soon fell limp in his restraints.

Libraria huffed. "...I don't know why I'm wasting my time with the likes of _you_ , anyway." she muttered. "If that really is the princess of Mewni and the prince of the Underworld out there... Then I may well be in more trouble than I first thought..."

"Exactly." said Marco, causing Libraria to jump in surprise and let out a high pitched shriek.

"Why're you still _conscious_?" she spat.

Marco shrugged. "I dunno... I guess electrocution isn't a great way to knock people unconscious?" he said.

"What!? How dare you impugn the mighty name of electrocution! Electrocution can anything it wants too! Including knocking people out, telling _amazing_ stories or even just helping to make a really good grilled cheese sandwich!" exclaimed Libraria.

Marco stared at her for a moment. "...You've been alone here for a _very_ long time, haven't you?" he asked.

"Silence! I am Libraria the Mighty and the Knowledgeable! And I can make friends any time I want too! I'm just... Very intimidating!" exclaimed Libraria.

Marco blinked. "Uh... Okay. ...You know... I bet Star'd be more than happy to be your friend if you'd just help answer a few questions..." he said.

Libraria seemed to consider this for a moment, before quickly shaking her head. "Silence I say! You cannot tempt me with the offering of bonds of friendship, no matter how much I yearn for it! My duty is absolute, and no pathetic little boy is going to stand in my way!" she exclaimed.

Marco slowly raised an eyebrow. "...You... _Yearn_ for it?" he muttered.

"Who told you that!? Did you read part of my poetry collection before you brought it down on to my security slimes!?" exclaimed Libraria.

Marco blinked, as he recalled the enormous stacks of books and papers that he had collapsed earlier. "Wait-... All of that was... _Poetry_? ...Was it... Was it all... Written by _you_?" he muttered.

"Of course! I have been the guardian of this place for eons! I've nothing but time on my hands to spend writing, or sleeping, or hanging out with electricity..." Libraria seemed to trail off for a moment, before quickly shaking her head. "Be silent! I can't have you distracting me right now! I have to figure out a way to destroy two members of magical royalty!"

"Uh... No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"No... You don't."

"I do! It is my duty to see anyone who dares to enter this place utterly _destroyed_!"

"But... Couldn't you... _Not_ do that?"

"And become the laughing stock of the Society of Magical Guardians of Knowledge!? Never! Those S.M.G.K jerks would never let me hear the end of it!"

"But... Wouldn't you also get in trouble if you destroyed two members of Mewni's royal families? I'm, uh-... I'm pretty sure they're kind of a big deal in _all_ the dimensions..."

Libraria huffed. "It'll be fine. Those royal types lose people all the time. They just get new ones- that's how it's _always_ been. To them, continuing the royal lineage is more important than any individual member!" she exclaimed.

Marco frowned. "...That's really messed up."

" _Existence_ is messed up! Now- if you don't stop talking, I will have to rip you limb from limb and bathe in your entrails! And I do not want to have to do that... It'll _ruin_ my hair, I just know it. It'll be all bloodstained... I'll wind up having to cut it off and wait for new pages to grow. And that takes _way_ too long!" exclaimed Libraria, as she waved her hands in the air, seemingly for emphasis.

Marco thought for a moment. "...Okay... But- before I stop talking... Can I-... Can I just ask... What is that orb thing?" he asked, gesturing toward the orb sitting inside the crystal casing.

"Oh, that's just the magic heart for the security system here. It's really important. And it was crazy expensive, I mean- don't even get me started." said Libraria.

"So... That orb thing controls everything around here? ...Is it also what's stopping dimensional scissors and stuff from working?" asked Marco.

"Yep." said Libraria. "It'd be real bad for me if anything were to happen to it. Real bad. I mean- I guess, in a way, _I'd_ be okay... But, y'know- I'd have to buy a new security system and I so do not wanna deal with that drama. It's just... _Oof_. It bums me out just thinkin' about it."

Marco gave a short nod. Then, all of a sudden, he pulled against his restraints with all of the strength he could muster. Libraria watched with a dumbfounded expression on her face as Marco suddenly tore himself out of his restraints and leaped toward the crystal case that held the golden orb.

Staring into the crystal case, Marco's mind raced as he struggled to think of what to do next.

Libraria chuckled to herself, as she held up the shield that Marco had used before. "Sorry, little boy. That is super reinforced crystal. And _I've_ got your weird spinny... Disc-ey... Thing... Huh. That's weird... Why-... Why can't I think of what this thing is called? Oh, this gonna drive me _crazy_..." she muttered.

Marco grit his teeth, as his attention suddenly turned to a good sized gap in the crystal casing. This was where the shield had embedded itself earlier, leaving behind a wide fissure in the crystal. The gap was too small for Marco to stick his hand or even his fingers inside to try and touch the orb. But, it did look like the crystal had been significantly weakened.

Taking a long, deep breath, Marco quickly figured out what he needed to do. While Libraria was distracted with the shield, Marco put his feet into position and grit his teeth. '...My right hand is already a little damaged... But it's also usually my strongest punching hand... So-...' he thought, as he looked down at his hands. '...I think I'll use that one. ...I just hope my _hand_ doesn't shatter into pieces instead...'

With a deep breath, Marco drew back his fist just as Libraria noticed what he was up to.

"...Wait! Don't-" said Libraria, only to have her voice suddenly drowned out by loud 'crack', as Marco swung his fist into the crystal casing with as much force as he could muster. His fist quickly broke through the weak spot in the crystal and landed directly into the golden orb. The orb exploded in a flash of blinding light as soon as his fist made contact with it- and the force was enough to send Marco reeling backward.

Outside, the angry office supplies suddenly began to fall to the floor, as the armored creatures collapsed into piles goo and broken armor, and the enormous suits of armor came to a sudden stop. Star and Tom had swirled around with each other and launched enormous pillars of pink energy and fire respectively into the air, hitting the golden dragon from below. The dragon opened its mouth to consume the magical energy, only to suddenly pause. All of a sudden, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The powerful pink energy and fire continued to travel, eventually rising up into the ceiling and exploding with incredible force. The entire library trembled under the force of the explosion, and Star and Tom soon found themselves staring up at an enormous hole in the ceiling.

They stared at the hole for a moment, and then looked over at each other.

"We... We did it!" exclaimed Star, as she suddenly jumped off of Cloudy and wrapped her arms around Tom mid-air. Tom laughed and winced a little under the incredible crushing force of his girlfriend's arms, before flying down to the ground to return the gesture.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "That was awesome! _You_ were awesome!"

"You were awesome-er!" exclaimed Star. "I can't believe we just beat a _dragon_ together! That's gotta be on the top of every 'relationship goal' list _ever_!"

"Yeah! It was on the top of mine, and I didn't even know it!" said Tom, smiling brightly and laughing as he spoke. "It's amazing how incredible we are as a team!"

Star grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. Star and Tom shared a long and delirious laugh together, as they both felt a wave of exhaustion and relief crash over them.

Eventually, Star took a deep breath to calm herself down. Tom was quick to follow, and for a while, the two simply stood there in silence, holding each other in their arms. Finally, Star gave a weary sigh.

"...I think this might have to be the last time we go out library-hunting..." she muttered.

Tom blinked. "Wha-... How come?" he asked.

Star sighed. "...We're just... We're not getting anywhere doing this... At this point, it feels like we're just throwing ourselves into danger for no reason at all... And when we do that, I'd kinda prefer there to be a reason." she said.

Tom chuckled to himself. "Oh, yeah? Since when?" he said, in a playful tone.

Star smiled. "...I dunno... I-... I don't really wanna waste time anymore... Y'know?" she muttered. "...After the whole Toffee thing... I guess I realized that time really is precious... And I wanna spend as much of it as I can... On stuff that really matters. Stuff like being the best princess I can be... And-... And helping the monsters."

Tom nodded. "Yeah... I get that. And it's super awesome of you." he said.

Star smiled brightly. "Thanks." she said.

The young couple shared a short, tender kiss before finally breaking apart.

"If I'm gonna get answers... Then it looks like it's going to have to be from Mom... And Eclipsa. It's-... It's gonna be hard... I've tried a bunch of times already and gotten nowhere... Mom won't say anything, and Eclipsa keeps talking in circles... But- I'm not gonna give up!" exclaimed Star.

Tom chuckled. "Yeah... I know you won't." he said, with a loving smile. "Those two don't have a chance... No matter how incredible they are... They're no match for Star Butterfly."

Star grinned and quickly wrapped her hands around Tom for another bone-crunching hug. "Thanks." she said, her voice sounding somewhat uncharacteristically serious.

Tom returned the hug once again, and then suddenly blinked. "Wait-... I, uh... I feel like we're forgetting something..." he muttered. All of a sudden, Tom and Star shared a worried look.

"Marco!" they exclaimed, in perfect unison.

"What?"

Tom and Star blinked, and turned to find Marco standing nearby. His features were very disheveled, and he appeared to be covered in blackish green goo and a layer of soot. As he stood there, he kept his hands buried in the pockets of his hoodie. His eyes were tired and downcast. But as Tom and Star made their way toward him, he forced himself to hold eye contact with them and offer them a friendly smile.

"Whoah, man! You look like you've really been through the gambit!" exclaimed Tom.

"Yeah." muttered Marco. As he spoke, he couldn't keep his voice from trembling ever so slightly. He was already completely exhausted, and holding himself together in front of Tom and Star took everything he had. Taking a short, deep breath, he clenched his left hand. Immediately, he felt an incredible burst of pain. His eye twitched slightly.

"Are you okay?" asked Star.

Marco closed his eyes for a moment, as he slowly unclenched his injured hand and took another breath. Looking into Star's deep blue eyes and seeing the genuine concern in them... Hurt. He wanted desperately to simply be happy that she cared about him. But instead... It was just painful. Still, he looked her in the eyes and faced it head-on.

"...Yeah. I'm okay. I'm a little tired after all of that running away and stuff, though..." he muttered.

Star smiled. "Yeah. Sorry about all this..." she said. "Things kinda went outta control pretty quickly."

Marco nodded. "Yeah..." he muttered. "But, we're all okay now. That's what matters."

Star let out a long yawn and rubbed her eyes. "We should get outta here... I think I'm gonna need a nap or somethin'..." she said.

Tom nodded. "Yeah. Me too... Hey, are you still on for dinner with my parents tonight? I mean, I could cancel if-" he began, only to be interrupted when Star suddenly slung her arm around his shoulders. "I wouldn't miss dinner with the Lucitor's for anything." she said, with a bright smile. "I've been looking forward to it. After a quick nap and stuff, I'll be ready to go!"

Tom smiled. "Awesome. I'll make sure we get the best dessert the Underworld has to offer." he said.

Star grinned. "That sounds amazing. Underworld desserts are the _best_." she said, before turning to face Marco. "Are you sure you don't wanna come along? I'm sure Tom's parents would love to meet his karaoke buddy." she said, with a playful wink.

Marco politely shook his head. "No... I think I'll just hang around the castle and... Well, probably sleep. A lot." he said.

Star laughed. "Well, I can't say I blame you. Oh! Maybe you could give Ponyhead a call! You guys'd totally tear it up if you hit the Bounce Lounge together!" she exclaimed.

Marco shuddered. "...I think I'm exhausted enough already..." he muttered.

Star laughed again. It was a sweet sound, and it was enough to make Marco's lips twist into a genuine smile, albeit a small one. Tom glanced over at him for a moment and seemed relieved to see Marco smile, even for just a moment.

"Well... I think I'm gonna head over to my room." said Marco, with a long yawn. After quickly pulling out his dimensional scissors and opening a portal, he paused for a moment. Turning around, he smiled at Star and Tom once more. "Have fun tonight, you two." he said.

Star stared at him for a moment and frowned a little. "...Are you sure you're okay, Marco?" she asked.

Marco nodded, never losing his perfectly crafted smile. "Of course I am." he said.

"...Are you sure? You-... Well... You kinda seem... I dunno... A little... _Off_." said Star, as she rubbed her chin with her wand.

Marco came very close to letting his smile waver. His entire body was engulfed with a fierce storm of jealousy, frustration and a sudden, deep sense of overwhelming loneliness. All of these emotions came crashing in on him all at once, as he watched how close Star and Tom had become. Quickly overwhelming all everything else was a crushing sense of shame.

He wanted desperately for the smile on his face to be genuine. The right thing to feel in that moment, as he quietly told himself over and over, was happy. Star and Tom seemed to make each other happier than he had ever seen them. They were there for each other. They had each other's backs. It was everything he could ever want for either of them. And yet, the same bitter feeling kept swelling up in his chest like bile.

Marco grit his teeth a little and took a sharp, deep breath.

"I'm fine." he said. "Just... A little more tired than usual. That's all..."

Tom frowned. It seemed obvious that Marco was hiding something, at least time. Tom was just about to open his mouth and press him for information when he suddenly found himself interrupted by Star.

"Well, I'm gonna need my Squire well rested and ready for anything by tomorrow! So make sure you to get yourself a good, long rest!" she exclaimed.

Marco nodded and offered her a small smile. "Sure thing, Star." he said, as he gave Star and Tom a short wave goodbye. "Have a good time, you two." he said. His voice was sincere, but the sadness in his eyes was not lost on Tom.

"...You-... You too, man." said Tom. "And, uh- thanks for hanging out with us again. It's always fun."

"...Yeah." said Marco. "It is."

After giving another short wave goodbye, Marco stepped through his portal and disappeared. Star and Tom stood in place, as they watched the portal slowly fizzle out. Once Marco's portal had disappeared, Tom felt Star's grip on him suddenly tighten.

Tom moved his gave over to Star, and found her staring blankly into the middle distance. Her eyes overflowing with a wide range of unreadable emotions, but more than anything she looked... Afraid.

Tom bit his bottom lip, as he struggled to think of something to say. "...I-... I'm worried about him too." he eventually muttered.

Star gave a slow nod. "...Yeah..." she whispered. "...But-... He'll be okay. I'm sure of it."

Tom stared at Star for a moment, and then shifted his gaze downward. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the words. In the last few months, Marco seemed to have changed. He didn't smile as often, and he longer seemed to have much enthusiasm for the things he used to love doing. Like making nacho's or playing video games. It seemed as if he had dedicated everything he had to being Star's squire. And when he wasn't 'on duty', he simply disappeared into his room.

Tom couldn't quite figure out how to approach him about it. And so much time had passed already, that it seemed kind of hopeless. Honestly, Tom had hoped that Star would've figured out a way to snap him out of it by now- but... She hadn't. And instead, it only seemed to have gotten worse.

Tom sighed. Throughout his life, he had only ever had a few friends- and he tended to go through them pretty quickly. No doubt as a result of the petty and spoiled attitude he had cultivated while being raised as royalty. Combined, of course, with the rage issues he had always had.

As he grew up, it had quickly gotten more and more difficult for him to make actual friends. Marco was the first real friend he had made in a long time. And it had happened before his first attempt at a demonicism. Marco might have been the first person in his life to fully accept him, even with all of his flaws.

It had meant a lot to him. Marco had become his friend during a time in his life when Tom had begun to think that he'd never have friends. At the time, he had been fine with that idea. Star was supposed to be all he needed. But when Tom suddenly found someone else to hang out with... It made a real difference. Even if 'hanging out' mostly just consisted of playing video games, table tennis and singing karaoke.

Tom frowned.

Both Star and Marco had helped him a tremendous amount in helping put him on the path to becoming a better person. And he would always be grateful to them both.

And now... Marco needed someone's help. It was getting more and more overtly obvious every time he saw him. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he simply found himself at a loss. Talking about feelings had never really been his strong suit. Plus, he had kind of expected Star to be the one who tried to fix whatever it was that was bothering him. But it was beginning to seem like Star was just as confused as he was.

Eventually, Tom breathed a slow, heavy sigh.

'...Star's right. Marco... He'll be okay.' he thought. As he quietly told himself that, he felt a pang of guilt.

He was lying to himself. And... He suspected that Star was doing the same. Doing their best not to notice the look on Marco's face... Or at least, to try to play it down. Because they were afraid of what might happen if they tried to face it head-on. It felt like if they did... Then they might only make it worse. And he might only drift further away. And neither of them wanted that.

But maybe that was just an excuse they had come up with to avoid facing something potentially confusing and painful.

Somewhere deep down inside... Tom suspected that he knew what was really bothering Marco. Or at least... _Part_ of it. And of course he did... After all, he had been through the something very similar himself.

Tom grit his teeth. He wanted desperately to see his suspicions proven wrong... But the evidence was slowly getting harder and harder to ignore.

Slowly shaking his head, Tom took another deep breath. '...It'll be okay.' he told himself. 'This... This whole thing... It'll pass. And Marco'll go right back to normal. And-... And everything... Will be fine.'

As Tom and Star walked away from the ruins of the library and began to make small talk, Tom continued to repeat the same sentiment over and over in the back of his mind. Hoping somehow that if he silently willed it to be... It would come true.

After exchanging promises to meet up again in the underworld for dinner with the Lucitor's, Tom and Star went their separate ways. But not before sharing a short, sweet kiss.

As they went their separate ways, both Tom and Star secretly hoped that with enough time... Everything would work itself out. Their lives had already changed so much recently, and they could both feel the pressures of being royalty closing in on them fast. Any control they had over their lives seemed to be falling away with each passing day. And all they could do was try and roll with the punches.

And quietly tell themselves that everything was going to be okay.

Unfortunately for them... It wasn't.

* * *

Somewhere within the quiet depths of the ruined library, Libraria suddenly popped up to her feet. Her entire body was covered in soot and slime, and her eyes were burning with an incredible fury. "...He did it. He blew up my security system... And then-... And then he just walked away..." she hissed. "Well, guess what _Marco Ubaldo Diaz_... You... You are going to regret doing that. I shall make sure of it."

Libraria's high pitched laughter filled the air, echoing throughout the empty ruins of the library. Eventually, her crazed laughter died down to a low pitched giggle.

"And-... And... I think I know just where to begin..."

* * *

 _Everything had fallen away._

 _His body..._

 _His senses..._

 _His memories..._

 _They had all faded into the darkness a long time ago. All that remained were the tiniest shreds of his mind. And pretty soon, they would be gone too._

 _As his remains continued to drift across the darkness, he could feel the last pieces begin to fade._

 _This was the end._

 _And as he felt himself finally disappear into the void... He couldn't help but wonder why he had been fighting for so long. This was where he belonged._

 _It was what he deserved._

 _It seemed so obvious now._

 _He had no reason to continue the way he was before. Existing... Was a struggle. And a painful one at that._

 _Fading away... Felt soothing._

 _He was finally letting go... Of everything._

 _With him gone... Everyone would be better off. And so would he._

 _The final piece of had finally begun to disappear._

 _Once it was gone... Everything would be over. There would be no more struggling._

 _No more pain._

 _No more anything._

 _Suddenly, a small golden light appeared amidst the darkness. The darkness seemed to cower from it, allowing the light to expand into the shape of a girl._

 _As she stood there, emitting an incredible warmth, Marco could suddenly feel his hands again. And without thinking, he quickly reached out to her. As he did, his formless body seemed to scream out in protest._

 _He was a part of the darkness now. He wasn't supposed to touch the light._

 _The light would hurt him. The light... Would destroy him._

 _But he wouldn't stop. He seemed to force his body back together as he pressed himself forward._

 _The pain was overwhelming... But he couldn't stop._

 _Soon, he found himself screaming._

 _His mind began to wage war with itself. Part of him wanted to lie back... And let himself fade away. It would be so easy... And it would put a stop to the raging storm of emotions that had put him there in the first place._

 _But... He also knew that he couldn't._

 _Even if she didn't need him anymore... He had to be there._

 _He had to try..._

 _It didn't matter what price he had to pay. He would pay it. Over and over again._

 _Then, suddenly- he felt something tug against him. Marco screamed again, as he felt himself being pulled further and further away from the light._

 _The darkness was fighting back._

 _His ears were suddenly filled with whispers. Telling him that it wasn't worth it. That anything he could do for her could be done better by someone else._

 _"You are nothing..."_

 _"You always will be..."_

 _"All you do... Is stand in her way..."_

 _"And cause more pain..."_

 _"And you'll ruin everything..."_

 _"All over again..."_

 _Marco screamed as he struggled to pull against the tendrils of darkness._

 _He was losing. And he knew it._

 _And as he continued to struggle and scream..._

 _He began to wonder once more..._

 _Exactly what it was he was fighting for..._

* * *

Marco's eyes slowly fluttered open, and once again he found himself lying in bed, drenched in sweat. For a little while, he simply lied there. His breathing ragged, and his features trembling ever so slightly.

It was dark, and he guessed that he had slept past the Mewni sunset. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at that. The Mewni sunset was always colorful and majestic. One of the few things that seemed to be able to take his mind off of everything else. The window in his bedroom had a perfect view of the horizon, and he had gotten into the habit of opening it up and sticking his head out to enjoy the cool breeze and the beautiful view in the evening.

He couldn't be sure what time it was now- but he was sure that it well past sunset.

Taking a deep breath, Marco suddenly felt a jolt of pain. Wincing a little, he slowly brought his injured hand up to his face to inspect it. When he had arrived in his room, it had only been around ten in the morning. He remembered being surprised, considering how long he had been trapped in that library with Star and Tom. Then again- there was always the possibility that time worked differently in that dimension, much like Heckapoo's. Either that or time slowed down when you were running for your life.

Either way, after marveling at the time, Marco had been quick to pull out his Emergency First Aid kit from under his bed and begin hastily treating his injured hand. He hadn't done a particularly good job- no doubt because of how completely drained he had felt after the whole experience. In fact, he had felt so worn out that he soon found himself collapsing into bed and falling asleep- without even worrying about cleaning himself up first.

Marco sighed, as he stared at his hastily bandaged hand. It had stopped bleeding, and he could kind of move his fingers. But not without having to endure quite a bit of pain.

Feeling sweaty, bloody and dirty, Marco peeled himself out of bed and made his way over to his bedroom window. Outside, the moons of Mewni hung majestically in the air. Bathing the kingdom in a gentle, pale glow.

As he stared out at the moons of Mewni, he felt a familiar swell of emotions. Marco breathed a heavy sigh as he gently pressed his forehead against the cool surface of his bedroom window. Feeling the same tumultuous storm of emotions every day was exhausting. More exhausting than any adventure he had ever had. And he could feel it wearing down his psyche.

"H-hey! Hey Marco! It's me... Your _phone_. Your weirdly outdated looking phone... I mean-... It is a smartphone and all... But it just seems... Really _retro_ for some reason... Maybe it just looks so lame because it's owned by _you_."

Marco felt a shiver run down his spine at the sound of the voice. Biting his lower lip, he very slowly turned around, filled with incredible dread at what he might find waiting behind him.

"...Janna?" muttered Marco.

"No- I'm not _behind_ you..."

Marco moved as quickly as he could to check under his bed.

"Not under your bed..."

Marco frowned, before quickly racing over to his closet and swinging it wide open.

"Not the wardrobe, either. C'mon, Marco- didn't you hear me? I said I was your phone."

Blinking in confusion, Marco slowly made his way over to his desk. Where he found his phone, lying beside a small pile of books on Mewman language. His phone's screen had lit up, depicting a picture of his parents with a small phone symbol underneath bouncing up and down.

"Yeah. That's right. I'm in your _phone_ , Marco Diaz... Hmm... I wonder how long I can keep recording this personalized ringtone... Woah! An hour!? That's crazy. Well- I guess I'll just start reading from your middle school diary. Loudly. Aw, man... I really hope you're in the middle of dinner with Star's parents or something..."

Marco quickly snatched up his phone and pressed his finger on the small icon at the bottom of the screen.

"Hello, Marco."

Marco breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his mothers voice on the other side of the call. "...Hey, Mom." he said. "Sorry I took so long to pick up... Apparently, Janna's been messing with my phone again..."

Marco's mother gave a soft giggle. "Oh, that Janna... She's a real trickster, isn't she? Remember when she filled all of your drawers with whipped cream? Or the time she filled your school desk with whipped cream? Or your locker..." she said, sounding wistful. "...Huh. You know she used to do a lot of stuff with whipped cream. It's nice that she managed to branch out a little over time."

Marco sighed. "...Not for me, it isn't." he muttered. "Although... I guess I'm glad she grew out of that phase... I heard that she was planning to try and fill up my whole room at one stage..."

Marco's mother laughed again. "...I think I might've had to have a talk with her mom if she had managed that... Although... That certainly would've been quite impressive... In its own way." she said.

Marco paused for a moment. For most of his young life, he had regarded Janna as somewhere between the bane of his existence- and a friend. It was actually quite difficult to really put a label on their relationship. It was always completely incomprehensible. Much like Janna herself.

"...Anyway." muttered Marco, deciding to change the subject. "...What's up?"

"Oh, well... I just wanted to make sure you remembered that our special 'Diaz Dinner Party' is happening tonight. Guest's are supposed to start arriving within the hour, actually." said Marco's mother.

Marco blinked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered his parents mentioning something about a 'special dinner party' just a few days ago.

"...That was _tonight_?" he gasped.

"I knew you might forget... You've been so busy on Mewni recently..." said Marco's mother.

Marco gulped. As he stood there, he caught his reflection in his bedroom window. He was a complete mess. Physically and emotionally. His clothes were crusty and wet with layers of dust, dried goo, and sweat. His hastily bandaged hand made it look like he had just punched a blender or something. And his eyes had dark circles around them, and all of his facial features seemed to radiate a deep sense of weariness.

"...Uh-... You know... Mom... I'm-... I'm not sure I'll be able to make it tonight..." he muttered. "I-... I thought I might just try and catch up on my sleep or... Or something..."

Marco's mother breathed a soft sigh, and immediately Marco felt a burst of guilt come crashing down on him.

"...Listen, Marco. Ordinarily... I would be happy to let you off the hook. But... We haven't seen each other in person for quite a while now... And-... Well... This party... Is a little special. Your father and I... We-... We would really, _really_ appreciate it... If you could find the time to come eat with us."

Marco breathed a heavy sigh. There was absolutely no fighting that. Her voice was brimming with incredible sincerity. It almost sounded like she was pleading with him. There was simply no way he could say no.

"...Alright. Okay... I'll head over in-... Uh... In a moment." muttered Marco.

"Thank you, Marco. I'm very glad to hear that." she said. Marco could hear the smile in his mother's voice as she spoke. "And don't forget to bring Star and any other friends you might have made on Mewni! We wanna meet them all!"

Marco froze. At the mere mention of her name, Marco immediately felt a painful tightening in his chest.

"Uh-... Star... Won't be able to make it. She... She kinda has an important royal dinner of her own to attend tonight..." muttered Marco.

"...Oh." whispered Marco's mother. It was obvious that she had noticed a change in her son's tone of voice, but she didn't bring it up. And Marco was quietly grateful to her for that.

"Well... Have you made any other friends on Mewni that you could bring over? The more the merrier, I always say!"

Marco blinked and thought for a moment. "...Well... I guess I do know _some_ people... But-... It might be kinda short notice... I don't know if they'll be able to make it..." he muttered.

"Well, give it a try! And don't forget to mention that your father and I will be cooking plenty of amazing food for the occasion!" exclaimed Marco's mother.

"...And what occasion is that?" asked Marco.

"That's a secret! You'll have to come to the dinner to find out!" exclaimed his mother, sounding very excited.

Marco sighed. "...Okay. But-... I don't really know if they'll take to Earth food as quickly as Star did... So-... So, just make sure to make some cobbed corn or something... Just in case." he said.

"Sure thing! How many people are you going to bring?" asked his mother.

"...Well... Two, I guess... But-... Well, one of them might need to bring his kids with him. So-... It uh... It might go up to over a dozen." said Marco.

"Oooh, well that sounds lovely. I'll be sure to let Raphael know." said Marco's mother. "We'd better make sure everything's ready... See you soon, sweetheart. I love you."

Marco smiled a little. "...Yeah. Love you too, mom." he said.

After pressing the 'end call' icon on his phone, he quickly began messing around with the settings on his phone in order to remove his new ringtone. Eventually, Marco breathed a heavy sigh. For a little while, he considered not calling the two other Mewni friends he had in mind. He didn't want to bother them, after all. Especially at such short notice.

But then, he paused.

Buff Frog and Kelly were his friends now. And they had told him specifically to reach out to them when he needed to. It had been almost a month since the incident with Roy and the Goblin Dogs, and so far, even though he had meant to... He hadn't reached out.

Marco frowned. It was so much easier to just wallow in misery by himself. And so difficult to ask anyone else for help... To drag them into his emotionally draining situation.

But... He owed it to them. They deserved to know that he trusted them enough to ask for help... Even with something that seemed so silly. If they couldn't come, then that would be fine too. But they deserved to make that decision themselves, and not have him make it for them.

Taking a deep breath, Marco ran his uninjured hand through his hair.

Plus... Deep down, he wanted to hang out with people that didn't send him spiraling into an emotional abyss every time he looked at them.

He knew that it was his fault that he felt that way around Star and Tom. But he couldn't help it. When he hung out with them... He always felt like a third wheel. Together, Star and Tom made an incredible team. They were powerful, dynamic, and it seemed like they could do anything together. And he... He was just... Unnecessary.

But with Buff Frog and Kelly... It felt different. Around them, he actually felt happy. Which had become a very rare feeling for him.

Marco took another deep breath and held up his phone. His phone was equipped with a magical phone line, courtesy of the pixies. Of course, he rarely ever had the occasion to use it. For the longest time, the only 'magical' phones he had numbers for were Tom and Stars. But now, he had Buff Frog and Kelly on his contact list as well. Along with Ponyhead, for some reason...

Marco felt himself start to sweat, as a familiar air of nervousness quickly took over. Marco gulped and did his best to shake it off.

"Alright... I'm gonna do it. ...I hope you guys don't mind too much..." he muttered. "Well... At least, if you can come... I'll be able to introduce you to my Super Awesome Nacho's."

Marco smiled.

"...Yeah. I guess... I guess I just have to hope that everything doesn't wind up spinning out of control like last time..." he muttered.

Marco had never been a particularly superstitious person. But in several hours time, even he would have to acknowledge the foreboding nature of what he had just said.

* * *

As Marco stood in the middle of his old living room, he took a long, deep breath. Looking around, he couldn't help but feel an incredible wave of nostalgia. He had been on Mewni for less than a year now. And yet... It almost felt the same as it had when Marco made his return to Earth from Heckapoo's dimension. Everything seemed simultaneously familiar and yet, oddly unfamiliar. It felt like it had been forever since the last time he had watched TV or lazed around on the family couch.

Of course, nothing had really changed in the Diaz household. But that didn't seem to stop the oddly alien feeling of walking around in the house he had grown up in.

Marco sighed, as he stood in front of the couch and stared at it for a little while. The memory of eating chips off of his cape in front of the TV felt like a lifetime ago. He had been through a lot of adventures since then, including a handful of portal-closing escapades with Heckapoo. As he stared down at the couch... He couldn't help but wonder if he had managed to change at all from the 'croissant girl' he had become several months ago.

Honestly, he wasn't sure.

"Karate boy!"

Marco barely had time to register the sound of Buff Frogs voice, before he suddenly found himself tackled to the floor by the Buff Babies. Although at this point, Buff _Kids_ might be a more accurate descriptor. They had all grown quite a bit in a relatively short amount of time. They had developed arms quite a while ago, and now they had even developed torsos and tiny flippers on the sides of their head. They appeared to be slowly developing into smaller, cuter versions of Buff Frog. They were still pretty small, but they had certainly changed a lot since the time Marco and Star 'tadpole-sat' for them.

"Karate Uncle! Karate Uncle!" the Buff Kids chirped, in perfect unison. "We're here! We're here!"

Marco smiled as he slowly sat himself up. The Buff Kids were crawling all over him, croaking with excitement as they bounced up and down.

"It's been forever, Karate Uncle!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids.

"Yeah! We can all speak now! And sing! Katrina taught us!" exclaimed another.

Marco chuckled as he watched the Buff Kids tumble over each other in excitement. Soon, he noticed a small yet muscular figure sit down beside him. Marco blinked, as Katrina slowly leaned over and hugged him with a pair of tiny yet muscle bound arms. "It's great to see you again, Karate Uncle!" said Katrina. "Are you-... Are you doing okay?"

Suddenly, all of the other Buff Kids quickly followed suit. Grabbing and hugging him wherever they could.

"Yeah! Are you doing okay?"

"We heard that you've been sad!"

"Don't be sad, Karate Uncle!"

"Yeah! I know- Why don't we try telling you some jokes!?"

"Dimitri's really good at joke stuff... Tell a joke, Dimitri!"

"Yeah! Go, Dimitri!"

The Buff Frogs began to croak in unison, as they all loudly cheered. Eventually, the Buff Kid who had been hanging off the back of Marco's neck suddenly let go and scurried hopped around to stand in front of everyone. After producing a small, red bowtie seemingly out of nowhere and tying it around its neck, the Buff Kid cleared it's throat and gave a loud croak.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and other! My name is Dimitri Bulgolyubov!" announced the Buff Kid, with the appropriate amount of flourish. The other Buff Kids loudly croaked and cheered, as Dimitri took a bow.

Marco couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he watched the young Buff Kid play entertainer.

"Thank you, brothers and sisters! You're all too kind!" exclaimed Dimitri. "Now... Karate Uncle... Tell me... Why are frogs so happy?"

Marco blinked and scratched the back of his head. "Uh... Because they've found a way to live rich and fulfilling lives while existing inside a brutal ecosystem?" he muttered.

Dimitri grinned. "Nope! Because they eat anything that _bugs_ them!"

Immediately, all of the Buff Kids began to fall over themselves as they croaked with laughter. And Marco was quick to join them.

"Thank you! Thank you! Now-... Karate Uncle... Tell me-... What's a frog's favorite sport?" asked Dimitri.

Marco thought for a moment and then gave a playful shrug. "...I dunno, Dimitri. What is a frog's favorite sport?" he asked.

"It's _croak-ay_!"

Once again, the Buff Kids burst into laughter. Marco blinked for a moment, as he didn't seem to get the joke. At least not right away. Eventually, however, it did finally click in the back of his mind. '...Oh, like _croquet_... I get it.' he thought, with a light chuckle. '...Wait- they have croquet on Mewni? Just how much stuff does Mewni have that Earth has? I feel like we share more stuff than we should, considering they're in different dimensions and all...'

"Alright, alright... Last one, everyone! ...Karate Uncle... What kind of shoes do frogs wear?" asked Dimitri.

Marco pretended to think for a moment, and then gave a playful shrug. "...I dunno, Dimitri. What kind of shoes do frogs wear?" he asked.

"Open _toad_!"

Marco laughed along with the other Buff Kids, as Dimitri took a bow. As the Buff Kids croaked and cheered, Marco couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised by the actual, genuine happiness he felt fluttering around in his chest. Just moments ago, he felt like he had been drowning in despair. And now, all of sudden... He wasn't. The childish smiles of the Buff Kids were incredibly infectious.

"Marco? Is that you?"

Marco blinked as he looked up from the Buff Kids to find his father standing in front of him, looking mildly confused. Marco stared up at him for a moment and then smiled as he got up to his feet. Marco's father was dressed in a familiar old suit. It was had big yellow and black stripes, and it was decorated with various splashes of paint in all colors. The suit also seemed to sparkle in the light. It was what he tended to wear on more 'formal' occasions. He was also wearing a pink frilly apron over it, with the word 'Love' stitched across the front. His hair looked a little shorter than Marco remembered it, and his mustache had grown much bigger and bushier.

"Hey, Dad. What's-" Marco was cut off mid-sentence when his father suddenly pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Mijo! Oh, it's really you! You've grown so much, I nearly didn't recognize you!" exclaimed Marco's father.

Marco squeaked a little under the force of the hug. "Uh-..." he muttered. "...It's- It's only been... A few _months_..."

"It has been _several_ months! Several months without seeing my little boy!" Marco's father exclaimed, as he slowly released Marco from the hug, allowing him to breathe a little easier. "I am very glad to see you again, Marco. Look at how much you've grown! You might even be taller than I am someday!" he continued, laughing loudly as he tousling Marco's hair. "You really are growing into a man right before my eyes, aren't you?"

Marco smiled a little. "...I guess so." he muttered, as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "...Uh-... Dad? ...I'm sorry I haven't... You know... Visited much... I just-... Uh... I've been kinda busy helping Star..."

"Yes, yes, I know... You have your own life now, Marco. I understand... I can't say I fully approve of you taking so much time off school and such... But I understand." said Marco's father.

"...Thanks, Dad. And-... Sorry, again." said Marco.

"Do not worry about it! You are here now, and that's what matters! Speaking of which-... Marco? Would you please introduce me to your friends?" asked Marco's father.

Marco blinked. "Oh-... Uh, sure." he said, before turning to find Buff Frog standing in front of them, carrying several of the Buff Kids in his arms, while others sat on his shoulders and on his head.

Marco smiled. "...Thanks for coming, Buff Frog." he said.

Buff Frog returned the smile with an enthusiastic grin. "Is being no problem, Karate Boy! I am very honored to have my family invited to fancy Earth home." he said, before turning to Marco's father. "And I am very thankful for you to be having me in your home. My name is Yvgeny Bulgolyubov! But, you may call me Buff Frog. ...Er- forgive me, I cannot engage in the practice of 'shaking hands', as they are full of my children."

Marco's father opened his mouth to speak, only to be suddenly interrupted by a chorus of croaking from the Buff Kids.

"Hello, Mr Diaz! I'm Alexi! It's super-ultra-mega exciting to be here! We don't get outta the swamp a lot..." croaked one.

"I'm Boris! You've got a super cool house, Mr Karate Uncle's Dad! Although, I do kinda think it could use more mud..." said another.

"Good evening, Mr Diaz... My name's Anastasia..." said another one, in a quiet voice.

"I'm Dimitri! I'm gonna be the greatest comedian in monster history! I've been workin' on my pun-fu recently... One day, I shall be a master!" exclaimed Dimitri.

"I'm Anya! You look really big! Is Karate Uncle really gonna be as big as you are someday?"

"Yeah- And is he gonna get a patch of fur just above his mouth like you've got? 'Cuz, I dunno if it'd suit him... I'm Igor, by the way!"

"My name is being Mikhail. I speak with accent for some reason... Why do brothers and sisters not speak with same? Is very strange..." croaked another of the Buff Kids, in what sounded like a thick, near-cartoonish Russian accent.

"I'm Leo! And, I was born attached to my brother Mikhail! See! Look! It sure is nice to meet you, Mr Diaz! Wait- Should we call you Mr Diaz or Mr Karate Uncle? I'm not sure... Oh, boy- I hope we're not being rude..."

"Can it, Leo! Quit bein' such a worry-wart over every little thing! I'm Irina, by the way. The _cool_ one."

"Hello! I'm Nadia. It's awesome to meet you, Mr Diaz! Daddy told us to be really polite, and not mention the time we ruined your house and threw up all over the place! So- I won't. No matter what you do to me! You hear me!? _BWA-HAHAHA_!"

"Dude, Nadia- Chill out... Can you not, like, go through a sentence without laughing maniacally? That can't be good for your chakra's, man... I'm Sergei, by the way. Awesome to meet you."

Finally, Katrina gave a petite cough as she cleared her throat. "...And I'm Katrina. It really is nice to meet you... And thank you again for inviting us into your home." she said.

Mr Diaz stared blankly at Buff Frog and the Buff Kids for a few short seconds, clearly overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of names and voices. However, he was quick to shake it off give a hearty laugh. "Well, it is lovely to meet each and every one of you!" he exclaimed. "And don't you worry about the little 'incident' that occurred while Star and Marco were babysitting you... Accidents happen."

Nadia twitched, as she suddenly bounced off of Buff Frog's shoulder. "...How did you know that was us!? Did someone rat on me!? Who was it!? Who's the mole!? The frog-mole!?" she exclaimed. "You won't get away with this! I will never forgive such betrayal!"

Mr Diaz blinked, and slowly scratched the back of his head in confusion. "...Uh... Star and Marco told us... Because... We asked." he muttered.

Nadia blinked. "Oh. Oh, well that's fine then. Hey, Daddy- it turns out they already know it was us! We don't have to keep it a secret anymore!"

Buff Frog gave Nadia a patient smile. "Yes, Nadia. Thank you." he said.

Mr Diaz gave another hearty chuckle. "Yes, yes... Water under the bridge. So- My name is Raphael... But you may call me whatever you feel most comfortable with." he said. "By the way- Mr... 'Buff Frog' was it? Are you the same frog-man that helped my son when he was kidnapped by that... Lizard-man? Er-... Tofu? Was that his name? Eh- Not important."

"Er... I would not say I 'helped' much... But-... I was there..." muttered Buff Frog.

"Oh, I see... But- You also helped when that 'Tofu' guy attacked the castle that Star lives in... And if I remember correctly... You also helped to break my son out of a dungeon of some kind?" asked Mr Diaz.

Buff Frog nodded. "Ah. Yes. This I did do. It was nothing... I am always happy to be helping Princess Star Butterfly and Karate Boy." he said.

Mr Diaz slowly shook his head and smiled. "It certainly was not nothing. And I want to thank you... Mr Buff Frog. Thank you for being there to help my son... And thank you for being a friend to him during his stay on Mewni."

Buff Frog gave a toothy grin, as he slowly let down the other Buff Kids, who quickly hopped away to start investigating the rest of the house. "It has been my honor to know your son, and be counted as his friend." he said, as he slowly stood himself back up. "He and Princess Star Butterfly have helped me a great deal."

Mr Diaz chuckled again. "Well that's lovely to hear... Oh! You should come out to the backyard and meet my wife! She would love to meet you and your lovely children." he said.

Marco blinked. "...The backyard?"

"Yes! As it turns out, we ended up buying way too much food and inviting far too many people... So, we decided to make it more of a barbeque event! Your mother is setting up the tables and such as we speak... Speaking of which- I'd better get back to helping with that! We want to make sure everything is ready before more guests start to arrive!" exclaimed Mr Diaz, before rushing out into the kitchen and through the back door.

"Ah- Buff Babies and I can help as well. Buff Babies! Come! We are going to help Karate Boy's parents with preparations!" said Buff Frog, directing his voice up the stairwell where most of the Buff Kids had ran off to.

"Da-aaad... We're not babies anymore..." came a voice from upstairs.

Buff Frog smiled. "You will always be little ones in my eyes, Irina! Now, come! All of you! The sooner everything is ready... The sooner we might get to try Earth food for first time!" said Buff Frog.

All of a sudden, a stampede of Buff Kids came storming down the stairs. "Alright! Let's go!" they exclaimed, in unison.

Buff Frog chuckled to himself as he followed the Buff Kids out of the living room.

Once the Buff Family had made their way outside, Marco suddenly found himself standing alone in the living room once again.

For a few quiet minutes, Marco simply stood there. Then, he slowly made his way over to the couch and sat down. He knew that he should have followed Buff Frog and his father out to the backyard to help with setting everything up, but he was still exhausted from his morning at the library and the restless sleep that followed. Taking a deep breath Marco slowly closed before letting out a long, heavy sigh.

Sitting on the couch, he immediately felt more comfortable than he had during his entire stay on Mewni. Everything seemed to melt away, and he soon felt a rare sense of calm wash over him.

After the call from his mother, he had launched into a feverish attempt to clean himself up as best he could. He had started with another cold shower in the squire's quarters. Then, he found himself consulting the Knight of the Wash, Sir Lavabo, about his injured hand. Sir Lavabo apparently had quite a lot of experience with injuries during his long tenure as knight of the wash, and although he seemed a little 'off' at times, Marco trusted him a lot more than he trusted any of the so-called 'royal doctors'. He had visited them twice before, for some of the bruises he had collected during various 'incidents'.

Both times, they had tried to throw him into a bath full of squirming creatures called 'ice-leeches'. And apparently, that treatment only had a forty percent mortality rate. Sir Lavabo's medical knowledge and practices more closely resembled that of an Earth doctor. Lavabo had been quick to disinfect the various cuts on his hand once more with a sparkly concoction of his own- and then sew up some of the bigger cuts with a thread and needle. Then, he wrapped Marco's hand perfectly with a long white bandage. After that, he had sprayed the bandages with an odd, sparkly solution that had hardened the bandages into something more resembling a cast.

So far, Marco had kept his injured hand buried in the pocket of his hoodie. He wasn't really trying to hide it- he just... Didn't want to bring it up. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his parents.

Once his hand had been taken care of, Marco had been quick to dress himself in a fresh pair of clothes. He had been in such a hurry during all of this, that he hadn't stopped to appreciate how good it felt to be clean again until this very moment.

Breathing a contented sigh, Marco smiled.

It felt good to be home again.

* * *

"Pfft- No, no... You'll wake him..."

"I mean, yeah- That's kinda the point of it..."

"Is there anything else? Like... We could get some hair gel or something and turn his hair into a real masterpiece..."

"Oh, sure- Or... We could bust out the hair clippers."

"I- uh... I feel like that might be taking it a little too far."

"Oh, come on! If you're gonna prank, then you've gotta commit!"

Marco stirred a little, as he heard two familiar voices begin to argue with each other in hushed tones.

"I can commit to a prank! I just feel like there's gotta be a line, y'know? I mean-... Especially when your not pranking for revenge or anything..."

"How do you know I'm not pranking for revenge?"

"...Are you?"

"No. But-... Look. It's just not fun unless you try and push the boundaries, y'know? Pranks are art. And great art comes from taking chances."

Finally, Marco's eyes fluttered open, to find Janna and Kelly standing in front of him- their faces close to his as they whispered to each other. He stared at them for a moment, before coming to the sudden and dreadful realization that he had fallen asleep on the couch. And Janna Ordonia was standing in front of him.

Marco let out a high pitched gasp as he suddenly leaned forward, causing both Kelly and Janna to jump backwards in surprise. "Janna!" exclaimed Marco. "What- What did you do? Did you glue me to the seat again? Or fill my shoes with water? You know how much I hate having wet socks!"

Janna rolled her eyes, but he couldn't hide the smile on her face. "Relax, Marco... We only had time to mark up your face a little..." she said, as she held up a large felt-tip pen and winked at him.

Marco let out a long, heavy groan as he leaned back into the couch. "...Come on, Janna..." he muttered. "Would it kill you to just let me lie in peace for once?"

Janna shrugged. "I dunno... I haven't really tried..." she said.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh, before shooting Kelly a look when he noticed her stifling a giggle.

When she noticed the expression on Marco's face, Kelly shot him an apologetic look- but she couldn't seem to wipe the playful smile off her face.

Marco sighed again. "...Well... Do either of you have a mirror or something so I can check out your handiwork?" he asked.

Kelly grinned as she quickly reached into her hair and pulled out a good sized hand mirror. After handing it him, she continued to do her best to hold back on her giggles as Marco looked into the mirror.

His face was covered in dozens of words and pictures of various sizes. There were spiders and flies drawn across his cheek, the words 'Ninja Kisser' written around his mouth, a one-eyed triangle wearing a top hat and tie drawn just below his eye, a picture of a trophy with the words 'Number One Loser' drawn on his other cheek, and something written across his forehead in big letters.

It read 'I Love XXXX'. Looking at it closely, it was obvious that the X's were covering up the word 'Star'. Marco slowly rose his hand up to his forehead, and then looked over at Kelly.

"...I crossed it out for you. Sorry- I was busy drawing the quadruple dolphin with arms coming out of its mouths on your neck there. It's also spurting out rainbows and puppies- but it was kinda hard to do with one color. Not my best work." said Kelly.

Marco nodded, before shooting Janna a dirty look.

Janna rolled her eyes. "What? She's not here... And anybody who is here probably figured that out long before you did. Like me, for instance." she said.

Marco sighed. "...That's still not cool, Janna. I don't go around writing your secrets in big letters for the whole world to see..." he muttered.

"Pfft... Like you even know any of my secrets..." she muttered.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "...Your favorite color-"

"Shut up."

"That poster you have hanging up in your locker... The one you keep underneath that 'Heavy Metal' poster..."

"Wha-... Hey! Shut up!"

"And then there's Mrs Bunny..."

"I will _literally_ tear out your _innards_ , Marco. With my hands. My _bare_ hands." said Janna, bringing her hands out in front of her as if to prove her point.

Kelly slowly shoved the hand mirror back into her hair, and gave Janna a curious look. "...Mrs Bunny?" she muttered.

Janna let out a long, annoyed groan. "...It's-... It's just this little... Old... Pink... Thing... That I-... I keep on my bed. Under my pillow most of the time... That's all." she muttered.

"It came in a set. I've got the blue Mister Bunny upstairs." said Marco.

Kelly raised her eyebrows, and Janna twitched. "...Alright, Diaz. I warned you. I will now be taking your innards." she muttered, before lunging at him with her hands. Marco quickly caught one of her hands, and struggled to dodge the other. As she swiped at him, Marco blinked when he noticed that Janna's fingernails were looking particularly sharp.

"Hey- Quit it, Janna! We got them when we were kids... It's not _that_ embarrassing!" he exclaimed.

"Shut up and give me your innards!" yelled Janna.

As she watched the scene playing out in front of her, Kelly couldn't help but smile. "...How long have you two known each other, anyway?" she asked.

" _Forever_." said both Marco and Janna, in perfect unison.

While Marco continued to hold Janna at bay, Kelly slowly adjusted her glasses. "...Huh. That sounds really cool... I kinda wish I had a friend I'd known for that long..." she muttered.

"Nobody said we were friends." growled Janna, as she continued to swipe at Marco. Looking down, she noticed that he was keeping one of his hands buried in the pocket of his hoodie. Something about the fact that Marco was trying to hold her back with only one hand quickly renewed her thirst for blood.

"Give me Mister Bunny!" she exclaimed, as she swiped at him again.

Marco frowned. "No way! Mister Bunny is perfectly happy living in my room! Besides- If I gave him to you, it'd only be a matter of time before you set him on fire or something..." he muttered.

"Whether or not that's true, he'd be better off at my house! He's just gathering dust up in _your_ room!" exclaimed Janna.

"Uh- I think it _does_ matter, Janna!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"It does so!"

"Does _not_!"

"Does _so_!"

Finally, Janna let out a frustrated sigh before pulling away from Marco. "Fine. Whatever." she said, in a huff. "I dunno why I'm wasting time arguing with you about this... It's not like I can't steal him away any time I want..."

Marco rolled his eyes, as he slowly pulled himself out of the sofa and on to his feet. "Uh-huh." muttered Marco. "Now, if your done trying to remove my innards-"

"I will _never_ be done." said Janna.

Marco ignored her. "-Then I think I'm gonna go up to the bathroom and wash all of this stuff off my face." he muttered, before pausing to give Janna a serious look. "...Unless... You-... You didn't use permanent marker again... Did you?" he asked.

Janna gave Marco an evil grin. "...Why don't you go find out?" she hissed.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh, before turning his attention to Kelly. "Hey, Kelly... Thanks for coming over on such short notice... I know it's-... Well... I know it's a little weird for me to just suddenly invite you over like that. And... I'm really glad you came." he said.

Kelly smiled. "Sure thing, Marco." she said.

As she watched Marco leave, Kelly took a deep breath. Looking around, she couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the alien nature of her surroundings. Kelly was no stranger to dimension-hopping, and she had seen quite a lot during her various escapades. But Earth was the first dimension that she had ever heard of that was, supposedly, completely free of magic.

Kelly slowly rubbed her chin in thought. Just standing in the middle of the living room gave her an odd feeling. It was like something was missing, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She had to guess that it had something to do with the lack of any trace of magic in the air. It was actually quite interesting.

Janna breathed a heavy sigh as she sat down on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. Kelly watched her for a moment, as Janna picked up a remote and turned on the TV. Turning her attention to the television, Kelly blinked as a particularly loud commercial for a car began to play on the screen. Keeping her eyes trained on the television, Kelly slowly made her way around the coffee table and sat down next to Janna.

This wasn't her first time on Earth, of course. She had come to Earth once before on the night that Star put out a call for an 'Emergency Friend Meeting'. When she had arrived last time, the entire house had been filled with people. This time, they all appeared to be gathering outside, behind the house. Kelly hadn't ventured outside to mingle with the other Earthlings just yet- and frankly, she was more than a little nervous at the prospect. When she had stepped out of her portal and into the living room, she had been greatly relieved to run into a familiar face right away.

Kelly glanced over at Janna, who was laughing hysterically at what appeared to be an ad for a new horror movie. 'Milkman 2: The Milkening'. As Janna snorted and laughed at the image of people running in terror from an innocent looking man holding a bottle of milk, Kelly quietly adjusted her glasses and then turned her attention back to the television.

Kelly didn't really know Janna all that well. All she really knew about her was that she was one of Star's trusted Earth friends. They had met a few times while hanging out with Star- but they had never really held a conversation about anything that didn't involve Star, Marco or pranking. As they sat on the couch together, Kelly quietly rubbed her chin as she wondered what might make a good topic of conversation.

It seemed like Janna was perfectly happy not to engage in awkward conversation, and a big part of Kelly wanted to leave at that. She had a habit of getting incredibly awkward around people she barely knew, and the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself in a new dimension.

However, some time ago she had promised herself that she would try and be more outgoing when it came to talking to people. After all, she had reached out to Marco in a time of need- and he had been essentially a stranger at the time... They had only really spoken once before, after all. And that had turned into a new and valuable friendship for her.

Kelly took a deep breath. Her motivation for reaching out to Marco had been tied up with her break up drama with Tad. Honestly, she might have opened up to nearly anyone who had approached her in that moment. But she was truly grateful that the person who had approached her was Marco. They had both really needed a friend that day.

"Hey, Kelly..."

Kelly blinked, as she was suddenly knocked out of her train of thought by the sound of Janna's voice. Looking a little surprised, Kelly turned to face Janna- only to suddenly have her feeling of surprise increase dramatically. The expression on Janna's face was serious. And even though Kelly had only known her for a short amount of time, she strongly suspected that it was rare to see Janna look that way.

"...Thanks for-... For being Marco's friend." she muttered, somewhat awkwardly. It was obvious that she was feeling uncomfortable with being sincere. Kelly didn't know it, but it was especially difficult for her to be sincere on the subject of Marco. It made her feel deeply uncomfortable, even when Marco was out of the room.

Janna sighed. "...Aw, man... I hate this whole... 'Sincerity' thing. It's gonna give me an ulcer... Or-... Make my head explode or something..." she muttered. "...But-... You know... I kinda... I kinda make it a habit to keep an eye on ol' Lame-o Diaz... And-... Well, I know that his time in Mewni hasn't exactly played out the way he hoped. Or the way _I'd_ hoped, to be honest. I mean-... I knew he was gonna be awkward and mess stuff up a bunch... That's what he does. But-..."

Janna breathed another heavy sigh, before slowly rubbing her temples. "...I-... I kinda..." Janna frowned a little as she struggled to find the right words. "...I was kinda hoping that Marco and Star were gonna be _happy_ together, y'know?" she muttered. "...And... It kinda sucked that it didn't work out that way... I mean-... I was bummed out when I heard that he and Jackie split up... Mostly 'cuz Jackie's my friend- and... I know it was hard for her. But, y'know-... She made the right call. For both of them. And... I guess I thought that... At the very least, it'd mean that Star and Marco'd finally get together... Or-... Or something. I'm pretty sure that was the reason Jackie broke up with him in the first place... 'Cuz he had lame sparkles in his eyes whenever he talked about Star... And he never seemed to realize it."

Janna's expression quickly went from tired to frustrated. "I can't believe that stuff wound up working out this way... It's like watching a really dumb soap opera." she muttered. "And now... Marco-... Well, I think he might've started... Spiraling. Again. He's always had a bunch of issues and whatever... Actually, I thought Star had really helped to fix a lotta that. But now... Well, the whole thing's starting to, uh... _Crush_ him. He thinks he's hiding it well... But he's really not..."

"...Honestly, I don't have the time, patience or energy to even try and help Marco with that kinda junk. And besides- that's not really what we do. Our relationship is more 'Prankster' and 'Prankee'. And, y'know... I like it that way. It's always been cool to have someone that I can really stretch my 'mischief' muscles around. Without ever having to worry about hurting a 'friendship' or anything like that..." said Janna.

Kelly blinked. "...Are you really sure you're not... You know... _Friends_?" she asked.

Janna gave a weary sigh and slowly shook her head. "Nope. And y'know- I don't really wanna be. Friendships can be a lotta hassle. And... It's kinda nice to have someone I don't need to hold back against." she said.

"...Okay." said Kelly. Honestly, part of her wanted to grill Janna even further- but she decided to give her a break and let it go. She already seemed to be having trouble being so sincere already, after all. There was no need to push it any further.

"...Look. The whole point of... Of all this lame 'honesty' stuff I'm spewin' out... Is-..." Janna breathed another heavy sigh and rubbed her eyes. Being sincere had already seemed to have drained almost all of her energy. "...I just wanted to thank you for being his friend on Mewni. He, uh... I know he doesn't have a lotta people there to pour his little heart out too... And-... And I just wanted to say... Thanks... For being one of those people... For him. I know you and Buff Frog are gonna help him get outta this latest 'slump'. And... I appreciate it. After all- It's really not as fun to prank 'sad Marco'. It's better when he's got a little more fire in him."

"...Thanks, Janna. I'm more than happy to be there for Marco as a friend. He's a good guy." said Kelly.

Janna snorted. "I mean- he's a 'Marco' guy at least..." she muttered.

Kelly chuckled to herself. "Yeah. He's very Marco." she said.

"Unfortunately..." muttered Janna.

Kelly smiled a little. "I would say... Fortunately." she said, in a playful manner.

Janna rolled her eyes a little. "Not for _him_ it's not." she said, before suddenly heaving herself off the couch. "Now- What do you say we go up to the bathroom? Marco oughtta be figuring out right about now that I used permanent marker..." she said.

"Oh- I actually switched the permanent markers with regular ones." said Kelly.

Janna proudly puffed out her chest. "Yeah, I thought so... Which is why I switched them again, for permanent ones!" she exclaimed.

Kelly nodded. "Yep. I thought you might've... Which is why I pulled a double switch." she said.

Janna blinked. "...Woah... Really?" she muttered.

Kelly nodded and grinned. "Yep! Which is probably why Marco hasn't come screaming down the stairs to yell at you." she said.

Janna gave a low, appreciative whistle. "...Wow. You know- there's not many people out there that can stay a step ahead of me. I think you just earned some of my respect, Kelly. Take good care of it- I don't give it out very often." she said.

Kelly laughed. "Sure thing, Janna. And thanks." she said.

Janna stretched her limbs and breathed a slow sigh. "Well- I guess it's time we head out back. Mr and Mrs Diaz are _amazing_ at cooking... It's really the only reason I let my Mom drag me over here..." she said. "C'mon- I brought a bottle of 'Blazing Ultra Firey Hot Sauce'... You wanna pour some on random food items and see who can eat the most without passing out?"

Kelly thought for a moment and then grinned. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "Oh- wait... You're not gonna trick Marco into drinking that stuff or something, are you?"

Janna rubbed her chin, as if she was considering it, and finally shook her head. "Nah. This stuff is too awesome to be wasted on people who can't appreciate it. Plus, last time, he just passed out right away. He's a total lightweight."

Kelly blinked. "Wow... So it's that powerful, huh?"

"Oh, you have no idea..."

As Kelly and Janna made their way out to the backyard, Marco slowly came down the stairs looking fresh-faced. When he noticed Kelly and Janna talking and laughing amongst themselves as the discussed the finer points of hot sauce, he smiled. Seeing Kelly hanging out with what appeared to be a new friend made him happy- even if that friend was Janna.

'...I just gotta hope that Kelly doesn't pick up a thirst for _pranks_... I really only need _one_ 'Janna' in my life...' he thought.

* * *

The full moon peaked out from behind the clouds as a cool breeze swept across the town of Echo Creek. The town was usually pretty quiet at night, especially in the suburbs. Tonight, however, was proving to be an exception.

The Diaz backyard was filled with people and buzzing with activity. Everyone seemed to be talking with everyone else. Some of them were standing in the grass, while others were sitting at the tables as they loudly talked, laughed and cheered with one another. As Marco made his way over to a table tucked away in a corner, he gave a few polite waves to the few people he recognized. Soon, he found himself being smothered in bone-crunching hugs from various members of his extended family. He was hugged by two of his aunts, received a rough handshake from an uncle, had his hair tousled by another uncle, and then he was hugged, tousled and pinched on the cheeks by a few of his cousins.

After avoiding narrowly avoiding a noogie from one of his older cousins, Marco noticed his grandmother sitting by a small table with a punch bowl on it. Marco slowly made his way through a crowd of people and walked up to his grandmother with a soft smile.

"Hey, Grandma..." he said. "I can't believe you're here! I guess Mom and Dad's 'big announcement' must be an even bigger deal than I thought!"

Marco's Grandmother looked up at him slowly and gave a warm smile. "Ah... Hola, Marco. Is very lovely to see you... You are looking well! Although... Maybe a little too skinny..." she muttered, as she reached her hand out and pinched Marco's cheek. "Are you eating okay in that magical alternate dimension you told me so much about?"

Marco smiled. "Sure... They've got a lotta crazy stuff over there... I'd like to show you one day, but-... Well, Mewni can be really dangerous. Even for the people who've lived there their whole lives." he said.

Marco's Grandmother frowned a little. "...And yet... You are staying there?" she asked.

Marco nodded. "Yeah... It gets kinda crazy most of the time... But- you know... It's rarely 'boring' at least." he said with a shrug.

Marco's Grandmother smiled. "I see... You really are growing up, aren't you?" she asked, he voice sounding wistful. "I suppose you're friends can no longer call you the... Uh... 'Safe kid'- huh?"

Marco smiled a little, but there was slight strain behind it that did not go lost on his Grandmother. "Yeah..." he muttered. "...But- you know... I don't think I've grown up that much just yet..."

Marco's Grandmother opened her mouth to speak, when all of a sudden Janna and Kelly raced up to them, grabbed the punch bowl and huddled together before tipped it over into their gaping mouths. Once they were done, Janna let go of the punch bowl and breathed a dramatic gasp. Kelly kept her grip on the punchbowl and carefully placed it back on the table.

"Aw, man! That-... Wow! I think- I think I'm seeing spots!" exclaimed Janna, as she waved her hands in front of her.

Kelly removed her glasses to wipe her eyes with her sweater. "Oof-... That... That was... That was crazy..." she muttered through labored breath.

Marco crossed his arms over his chest and gave the girls a look. "...So. I'm guessing you two went overboard with the hot sauce?" he asked, looking judgemental. "I told you, Janna- That stuff isn't fit for human consumption! And I'm pretty sure it's illegal almost everywhere!"

"Shut up!" exclaimed Janna. "You will never rain on my spice parade!" she continued, waving her fist angrily at Marco before turning to face his grandmother. "Hey, Gramma. It's good to see you again." she said.

Marco's grandmother smiled. "You too, Janna." she said.

"Alright, Marco- We're gonna go hide out at that table over in the corner until your Mom and Dad's big announcement. And you're coming too. Why? Well, because I hold a tremendous sway over your actions." said Janna.

Marco frowned. "...I was headed over there anyway..." he muttered.

Janna gave a loud snort. "Yeah- You keep telling yourself that." she muttered. Janna gave Marco's Grandma a polite wave before spinning around and making her over to the table in the corner of the yard. As she watched Janna push her way through a crowd of people, Kelly slowly adjusted her glasses before turning to face Marco's Grandma.

"Uh-... Hi! I'm-... I'm Kelly! I- uh... I'm Marco's friend on Mewni!" she exclaimed. As she spoke, she looked visibly nervous. Still, she did her best to push through it.

Marco's Grandma blinked. "...Oh. I thought Marco's friend from 'Mewni' was named... Er... 'Estrella'." she said.

Kelly gave her a confused look, and Marco cleared his throat. "Uh-... This... This isn't her. Star couldn't make it... This is one of my other friends from Mewni." he said. "Kelly, this is my Grandma."

Marco's Grandmother blinked. "Oh. I see. Well- It is lovely to meet you, Kelly." she said.

Kelly gave a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head. "Y-yeah." she muttered. "Uhh- I think I hear Janna calling for- ...Uh... Something! Yeah! She needs a whole bunch of something. So- I'll just... I'll just go get that for her." Kelly continued, before awkwardly turning around and running off.

Marco's Grandmother chuckled a little. "...She seems nice. A little shy, it seems." she said.

Marco smiled. "Yeah... She's a lot of fun when you get to know her. It can just take a little bit of time for her to come out of her shell." he said.

Marco's Grandmother slowly stroked her chin and nodded. "I see... I see... Well, why don't you go join her before Janna breaks out that hot sauce of hers again?" she asked.

Marco smiled and nodded. "Sure! Love you, Grandma!" he exclaimed, before wrapping his arm around her to give her hug. Marco's Grandmother blinked when she noticed Marco keep one of his hands in the pocket of his hoodie while he hugged her. Before she could ask about it, Marco shot her a quick, bright smile and gave her another 'goodbye' before running off into the crowd.

By the time he had weaved his way through the crowd and sat down next to Kelly at the table, Marco was practically out of breath. "Aw, man... I can't remember the last time Mom and Dad packed this many people into the same place..." he muttered, as he ran his uninjured hand through his hair. "It's kinda crazy... Sorry if it's a little overwhelming, Kelly... I guess I underestimated how hectic it was gonna get..."

Kelly smiled a little. "It's fine... I'm used to going to parties and stuff. I'm a card-carrying member of the 'Bounce Lounge Crew', remember?" she said.

"Oh, yeah... I guess you've probably been to a bunch of parties that were _much_ crazier..." said Marco.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, but I always have my friends around... I don't think I'd be able to take it on by myself..." she muttered.

Marco laughed a little. "Yeah... Me too. Parties always used to make me really nervous... And, they still kinda do." he said. "They're definitely a lot more fun when you have friends around."

"Hey! Are you two just gonna sit there and talk about boring stuff, or are we gonna play a game of 'Spin the Hot Sauce'?" asked Janna, as she slammed her bottle of hot sauce on the table.

"No." said both Marco and Kelly, without so much as breaking eye contact with each other.

Janna huffed. "... _Fine_." she muttered. "But one day... Mark my words... We will play 'Spin the Hot Sauce'. And it'll be a memory you'll never forget... No matter _how_ hard you try!"

Marco ignored Janna and was just about to continue his conversation with Kelly when something suddenly landed with a soft 'smack' in the middle of the table. Marco and Kelly both blinked, as they turned to find Katrina standing on the table. "There you are!" she exclaimed, before hopping in place and waving her arms in there. "Hey! Everyone! They're over here!"

All of a sudden, there was a cascade of loud croaking as all of the Buff Kids seemed to materialize out of nowhere, and began to join Katrina on the table.

"Karate Uncle! You were asleep on the couch for a while, huh? Check it out! We got to try some Earth Burgers!"

"Yeah! They're awesome!"

"I put some worms in mine, and it made it even better! You wanna try?"

As the Buff Kids hopped and croaked cheerfully, Buff Frog made his way through the crowd and took a seat next to Marco. "Karate Boy. Shrubbery Girl. Is nice to see you both." he said, with a warm, toothy grin. Marco and Kelly returned the smile, and Buff Frog quickly turned his attention to the Buff Kids. "Babies! Please to be sitting down on seats." he instructed.

As the Buff Kids quickly hopped down onto the seats next to Janna, none of them seemed to be able to contain their excitement.

"Ooh! Hey! You must be 'Shrubbery Girl'! We saw you in the Goblin Dog commercials that have Daddy and Karate Uncle in them!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids. Very quickly, the attention of all the Buff Kids was suddenly focused on Kelly- causing her to shrink back just a little.

"Oh! That _is_ her! That's _awesome_!" exclaimed another one of the Buff Kids.

"It's an honor to meet you, Shrubbery Girl! We're the 'Buff Kids'. 'Cuz we're buff, we're kids, and we're awesome! And everyone knows that every awesome group needs its own name!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids.

"Yeah! Like how you, Daddy and Karate Uncle are the 'Tremendous Trio!" exclaimed another Buff Kid.

Kelly smiled a little, as the Buff Kids launched into their routine of introducing themselves. It took a little while, as there were twelve of them in total. Plus, a few of them had insisted on stopping halfway through their introduction to ask for her autograph.

Kelly couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable with the sudden barrage of questions by the Buff Kids, but she did her best to hide it. As she did her best to keep up with the deluge of questions, Marco quietly inched closer to her and offered her a supportive smile.

Janna watched this with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing.

"How do you carry that enormous sword?" asked one of the Buff Kids.

Kelly gave a simple shrug. "I'm a lot stronger than I look, I guess. Sometimes, I use two of 'em- but only in emergencies... Or if I feel like it." she said.

"Where'd you learn to fight?" asked another Buff Kid.

"Well, my family used to move around a lot... And a lotta times, when you do that- you wind up running into trouble. It wasn't anything too scary... Although I do think we cut it kinda close once or twice. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to be able to defend myself... To make it easier on everyone else. Plus- I always thought swords were really cool." said Kelly.

"Aw, that's so cool! Can I learn the way of the sword too, Papa?" asked one of the Buff Kids.

"Er-... Maybe when you are being a little older, Boris." said Buff Frog.

"What's your house like? Is it a swamp? Our's is a swamp!" exclaimed another Buff Kid, as it bounced up and down excitedly.

"Well... My family wound up finding this nice big tree... And we kinda live in that now." said Kelly.

"So you live in a treehouse!? Cool!"

"Yeah... The branches and leaves sorta mold into natural rooms and stuff. It's pretty cool. It does leak sap sometimes though... That gets kinda annoying. Plus, every now and again we gotta go to battle with this army of squirrels... But you know... It's cozy." said Kelly.

As Marco watched with a smile as Kelly patiently answered question after question from the excited Buff Kids. It was obvious that she was a little overwhelmed, but she was determined not to falter. Marco kept his gaze trained on her for a little longer, before slowly moving his eyes upward.

The sky was smothered with clouds, but he could just make out the image of the full moon behind them. Something about the moon seemed to make him wistful... And sad.

Marco felt a cool burst of air brush against his face and took a deep breath.

As he sat there, he could feel his mind begin to drift. And as usual, it seemed drawn to one subject in particular. '...Star...' he thought. Just thinking her name quickly brought a steady flow of emotions rushing back into him. '...I-... I know I'm... I'm a jerk. And-... And I know some messed up part of me has been... Resentful. And sad... Very sad. And-... And I hate that about myself, trust me.'

Marco sighed and slowly closed his eyes. Almost instantly, he could see her face. His heart seemed to skip a beat, and then sink. 'Deep down... I know I should-... Talk to you about it... I shouldn't be trying to keep it a secret... And then feeling hurt when you don't figure it out on your own... But-... It just... It's so _painful_. Even just thinking about it... I just... Lock up... And I wanna run away...'

Marco's eyes fluttered open again, as he looked around at the crowd of happy party-goers. There was so much energy in the air that it was almost intoxicating. There was so much laughter. So much joy.

And although he felt some of it, sitting there with his friends (and Janna) back on Earth... He could only feel a sliver of the happiness everyone else seemed to feel. The feelings of joy and comfort he felt swelling in his chest were being weighed down by everything else. And he could feel the smile on his face slowly fading with every moment that passed.

He tried desperately to keep a firm hold on the happiness he felt in the moment, but he knew that it was fleeting. All of it was. And soon enough, he would be back in his room on Mewni... Feeling miserable.

Marco sighed.

'Star... I think... I really am broken. And-... I don't know if I'll ever be okay...' he thought. 'But-... No matter what... No matter where you are right now... I hope you're having fun. I hope you're smiling. Even if it's not with me... No-... Especially if it's with me. Because... Because I can't make you happy anymore... I-... I can't even manage it for myself...'

"You look sad again, Karate Uncle."

Marco blinked and noticed Katrina sitting on the table directly in front of him, dangling her muscular legs over the edge. Marco stared at her for a moment and then sighed.

"...Yeah. Sorry, Katrina." he muttered.

"You don't have to be sorry, Karate Uncle. Everyone get's sad sometimes, y'know?" said Katrina.

Marco sighed again. "...Yeah..." he muttered. "I know. I just-... I was kinda hoping I'd be able to leave that stuff behind tonight. And... Y'know... I was almost there. But-... I just... Can't escape it... Can I?" he muttered.

Katrina blinked. "Sure you can. Getting over pain... It's difficult. But it's always possible. And there are all sorts of ways to do it. Sometimes, the pain'll just fade with time. Other times, you gotta try and face it head on... Or, maybe- you gotta try and make changes in your life... And move on. Have you tried any of those?" she asked.

Marco frowned for a moment, as he lost himself in thought. Eventually, he found his voice again. "...Moving on..." he muttered, as he felt a lump form in his chest. He had thought of it before, of course. And it seemed completely impossible. He had been deeply wrapped up in feelings for Star for longer than he even knew. And the idea of letting go of what was once such an incredibly powerful emotional connection...

It was as scary as it was painful. What would he even be like without that? It had become such a big part of who he was... If he no longer had any connection to Star... And if he managed to let go of the incredible storm of feelings that seemed to rage on inside him at all times...

Would he even be himself anymore?

And why... Why did that idea feel so frightening?

He wanted to change. He wanted to get stronger... That had been part of why he had gone to Mewni in the first place.

Marco sighed. "...Yeah, I-... I don't know what I'm doing anymore." he muttered.

Katrina smiled. "Well, that's okay Karate Uncle. Nobody really does. Just try and let yourself move along with the rest of the world... And you'll find yourself somewhere different. And, better or worse... At least it'll be different. Right?"

Marco smiled at the young Buff Kid, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "...I hope so." he muttered. "Thanks, Katrina. I'm sorry you had to see me like this... I guess now you've joined Kelly and your Dad in the 'consoling the miserable Marco' club."

Kelly reached out her hand and placed it on his face. "...You're gonna get through this, Marco. I know you will." she said.

Marco smiled a little as he rubbed the little Buff Kid on the head, causing her to giggle.

'...I wish I could believe that.' he thought. 'I really do.'

As Katrina joined her brothers and sisters, Marco did his best to smile and laugh along with everyone else. It wasn't overly difficult- he was actually enjoying himself after all. But the whole time, he still felt the same painful weight in the pit of his chest.

This went on for about an hour. Then, all of a sudden, there was a loud and obnoxious burst of noise. Everyone at the party cringed at once and quickly turned to find Raphael and Angie Diaz standing at the back door, both holding large air-horns.

"Attention, everyone!" exclaimed Mr Diaz. "I suppose it is about time we told you all why we decided to throw this party in the first place!"

Mrs Diaz grinned. "Yes! But first... Is everybody having a good time?" she asked.

The entire crowd cheered.

"What about you, sweetheart?" asked Mrs Diaz. "Marco? Are you out there?"

Marco breathed a short sigh, before standing up on his seat and giving his mother a wave. Mrs Diaz grinned. "Ah! There you are! Everyone! A wave of applause for our little foreign exchange student! He came from very far away to be here tonight!"

Marco flushed a little as everyone turned to face him and started clapping. By his feet, Kelly, Buff Frog and the Buff Kids were all doing the same. Janna was, naturally, playing with her phone and ignoring everyone else.

Once the clapping had come to a slow stop, the crowds collective attention turned back to Mr and Mrs Diaz.

Mrs Diaz giggled a little at her son's flushed face and then turned to her husband. "Now then, dear... Let's not keep everyone waiting any longer, shall we?" she said.

Mr Diaz chuckled. "Yes. Let's not..." he said.

Mrs Diaz grinned as she watched the crowd lean in with suspense. "...As you all know, Marco was our little miracle. And we never thought that we'd be able to have another... But, recently... That has changed." she said, her smile widening as she spoke. "That's right everyone! I'm pregnant!"

The crowd immediately erupted into a round of cheers and congratulations, and Mr and Mrs Diaz laughed as they wrapped their arms around each other.

Standing at the table, Marco gaped for a moment. His eyes widened as he stared at his parents. "...I-... I'm gonna be big brother..." he muttered. For a little while, he simply gaped in disbelief. Eventually, however, he slowly closed his mouth. He wasn't sure what to do.

Or what to say.

Then, all of a sudden, he felt a smile creep on his face. "...A big brother..." he repeated to himself. "...That's... I-... I never thought..."

"Are you okay, Marco?"

Marco blinked, as he felt Kelly place a hand on his shoulder. All of the Buff Kids had bunched up together to stare at Marco, along with Buff Frog. Behind them, Janna gave Marco a curious glance.

As Marco turned to everyone else, his smile seemed to grow. "...I'm gonna be a big brother..." he muttered again. "That's... I don't believe it..."

Buff Frog smiled. "Congratulations, Karate Boy. You will have Karate _Sibling_ soon... Should be very interesting." he said.

Marco nodded, as he slowly ran his hand through his hair. "...Yeah. Yeah, it will..." he muttered. For some reason, his dumbfounded smile simply refused to fade. And he didn't want it too. As he took a few deep breaths and did his best to process the sudden revelation, the crowd began to draw closer to Mr and Mrs Diaz as they burst with a collective excitement. There were many loud congratulations, hugs, and joyous laughter. As Marco stood by the table, he felt Buff Frog sling arm over his shoulders. Smiling, Kelly did the same. And very quickly, the Buff Kids began to climb up Marco's body, hugging him all over and croaking loudly and happily.

Marco blinked, as he felt a sudden swell of warmth deep inside of him. And all of a sudden, he found himself laughing along with everyone else. It was delirious. A result of snapping from one emotional extreme to another in such a short time. It was like a sudden overload of his senses. As he stood there, feeling warm in the embrace of his friends, and filled with emotion- he laughed. And continued to laugh.

"Er- Is this a bad time!?"

Everyone in the backyard blinked, as a loud voice came booming down from the sky. In an instant, the revelry in the Diaz backyard seemed to dissipate. As everyone moved their gaze skyward, a bright star seemed to shine through the clouds. As they watched it, the star seemed to grow larger and larger. And it took a moment for everyone to realize that it was actually a bright glowing object growing closer.

"You know what!? Too bad! I've waited long enough!"

The crowd slowly and quietly moved backward, making space in the middle of the backyard for what appeared to be a giant golden sphere to touch down on the grass. The golden sphere stayed there for a moment. Then, a large red circle appeared on its surface, making it look like a golden, glowing eyeball.

All of a sudden, Marco felt something move inside the pocket of his hoodie. Before he could do anything, his dimensional scissors suddenly ripped out of his pocket and flew toward the glowing sphere at an incredible speed. Buff Frog and Kelly let out a surprised yelp as their own dimensional scissors suddenly flew out from their hiding places and joined Marco's in being quickly absorbed by the glowing sphere.

A loud, maniacal laugh filled the air, and Marco let out a low groan.

"...You-... You have absolutely _got_ to be kidding me..." he muttered.

Suddenly, the golden orb gave a near-blinding flash- and long sheets of paper began to burst out of the ground, stretching upward and wiggling around like enormous paper tentacles. As the orb flashed, several figures appeared to jump out of it. Dozens upon dozens of them. When the flashing finally stopped, the crowd found themselves staring at a group of intimidating humanoid figures.

They all the same shade of dull white, and stood perfectly still. Their heads were all perfectly round, with several glowing red eyes. Their bodies were wide and heavily armored, and their arms were large and bulky- while their legs appeared almost impossibly small. The white robotic creatures leaned forward in order to help prop themselves up with their bulky arms, and keep themselves from falling over.

Finally, a massive clump of paper burst out of the ground and quickly morphed itself into the shape of Libraria. She looked the same as before- her skin paper white, with four red eyes and wearing an open book on her head. Paper from the book seemed to stretch down her body, almost like hair. Her big round glasses still appeared to be far too big for her face, and yet they stayed perfectly in place- seemingly in defiance of all laws of physics.

"I am here!" she announced, before launching into another burst of hysterical laughter. As she laughed, one member of the crowd timidly rose their hand.

"...Uh... _Who_ are you?" they asked.

"Silence! I am a vengeful creature of amazing, inconceivable power! And I have come here with a freshly purchased security system in order to exact my revenge on someone here!"

There were several loud gasps among the crowd.

"Oh no! What's Janna done this time!?"

"Are sure it was Janna? Maybe it was Eduardo!"

"Eduardo isn't even here!"

"Yes I am! And it wasn't me, it was obviously Sophia!"

"Shut up, Eduardo! Quit tryin' to pin stuff on me!"

Libraria growled, revealing several rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Shut up, all of you! I speak only of Marco Ubaldo Diaz! He is the reason I'm here! He destroyed my library! So now I will take his home... And transform it into a brand new vault of dreadful, cosmic secrets! It's only fair!" she exclaimed.

The crowd of people turned to look at Marco, with various looks of disapproval.

Marco rolled his eyes and pushed his way through the crowd to confront Libraria. "Hey! We only came by to ask a question! And then you locked us in and attacked us with an army of gooey armored things, angry office supplies, and a dragon!" he exclaimed.

The crowd raised their collective eyebrows and then turned their looks of disapproval toward Libraria.

"You destroyed my security system! I had that thing for twelve hundred magic cycles!" exclaimed Libraria.

"Only so we could escape with our lives!" exclaimed Marco. "How did you even find me here?"

"I plumbed the depths of your wretched mind, you wretched... _Wretch_!" exclaimed Libraria. "I've memorized every last memory of yours! And I've decided to destroy all that you hold dear, and take it for myself! ...Not counting Star Butterfly... Because... Well... She and the royal magic family are... Kinda powerful... And-... I'd get in trouble... Plus, she has Tom Lucitor on her side, so- Yeah. Pretty much unbeatable. But you and this miserable little town? Why- you're perfectly _vulnerable_. Robot squad! Capture Marco Ubaldo Diaz!"

As her command, the white, big-armed figures began to whir to life.

"Everyone get inside!" yelled Marco, as he took up his fighting position.

"Aww... But we wanna see what happens! It looks kinda cool..." came a voice from the crowd.

Marco twitched. "NOW!" he bellowed.

"Fine... Spoil sport..." hissed another voice from the crowd.

As the white robots began to close in on Marco, the crowd slowly made their way into the house. There was no rush or panic. Unbeknownst to Marco, they had all been warned that something like this might happen. After all, they had intended for Star Butterfly to be in attendance.

As one of the robots lunged at Marco, he quickly spun around and kicked the robot directly in the head. Marco grit his teeth in pain, as his foot lamely bounced off of the smooth surface of the robots head. The robot paused for a moment, as Marco hissed in pain. "Why-... Why can't you guys be made out of cotton or something?" he muttered, as he bent down to rub his newly sore foot.

"Marco! Heads up!"

Marco quickly jumped to the side, as the white robot swung its enormous arm at him. Marco narrowly dodged the swipe and watched with a slight grin as Kelly suddenly launched herself into the air, yelling her war cry as she pulled her enormous sword out of her hair. The robot lifted one its arms up to guard itself- only to have the arm suddenly chopped off.

The robot gave a loud beep, as a familiar looking blackish green goo sudden began spraying out from where its arm used to be.

Kelly and Marco stood back to back, as Buff Frog hurriedly collected the Buff Kids in his arms. "I will join the fight once Babies are secure!" he announced. Both Kelly and Marco gave a short nod, as the robot whose arm had been cut off began to flail around until all of the blackish green goo had spilled out of it. Once it had, the robot seemed to go still.

"I think I might just film all this from over here." said Janna, as she held her phone out in front of her. "It's always nice to record our precious memories..."

"Please just go and be safe, Janna." said Marco.

Janna sighed. "Fiiiine... I'll go join all the lame people doing lame stuff." she muttered, in a huff. As she followed Buff Frog and made her way around the group of robots, she shot them a glare. "You guys're lucky you caught me without any of my weapons... Well- My _good_ weapons, anyway..." she muttered.

Libraria let out a harsh growl. "You robots are supposed to be the top of line! How do 'top of the line' robots gets taken out by a simple sword!? You guys aren't even sword proof!? What'd I pay all that money for!?" she exclaimed.

The golden sphere pulsed, seemingly in protest.

"That's right I'm criticising you! You can't even drum up a good army of robots! What's the matter with you!?" yelled Libraria, as she thrust an accusatory finger toward the golden sphere. "You're not nearly worth what I paid for you!"

The golden sphere pulsed again. All of a sudden, only of the robots began to grow. It's arms and legs seemed to transform into long, powerful-looking tentacles, and it's head quickly expanded to twice its original size.

"Oooh! So you can improve! That's a nice feature." said Libraria.

All of a sudden, Buff Frog jumped through the air at an incredible speed. Landing on top of the newly formed tentacle-bot, Buff Frog immediately wrapped one arm around one tentacle, and another arm around another. With a loud grunt, Buff Frog pulled as hard as he could. There was a loud noise, as the tentacle suddenly popped out- sending jets of blackish green goo flying everywhere.

As the tentacle bot crashed to the ground, Buff Frog hopped away and landed next to Marco and Kelly. As the three of them stood with their backs to each other, the robots looked confused. And Libraria looked angry.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? COME ON!" she bellowed. As she began to launch a tired against the golden orb, Marco leaned down a little to whisper to Kelly.

"...Do you have anything I can use?" he asked.

"You mean a weapon?" asked Kelly.

"Yeah, a weapon. I'm not really trained to use any- but... It doesn't really seem like karate is a viable option right now." said Marco.

"...You could try grabbing and pulling. Worked for me just now..." muttered Buff Frog.

Marco gave a short nod. "Yeah- but if they keep changing like that... Well, something tells me we won't be able to rely on the same old trick over and over." he said.

Buff Frog shrugged. "We might be able to. But it is being good idea to have back up plan." he said.

Kelly buried her hand in her hair. "Uhh... Let's see... I've got a battle axe... A mace... A _stapler_..." she muttered, as she rummaged around. "Oh! Wait! I forgot... I found these things lying around in an old weapons store I visit... And I thought of you right away." she said.

Marco blinked, as Kelly handed him a pair of old metal gauntlets. They almost looked like an old knights armor, with thick metal plates formed around leather. The metal armor extended from the hands, and down the forearms. "Wow! These are amazing, Kelly!" he exclaimed, as he quickly shoved his uninjured hand into a gauntlet. After tightening the leather straps with his teeth, Marco held his breath as he slowly pulled the other gauntlet over his injured hand.

The bandages had been carefully wrapped around each finger, so his hand had not been completely bandaged together. But it still took quite a bit of effort to get the gauntlet fitted over it. Once he was ready, Marco took a deep breath. Now he had armor over his hands and his forearms. It wasn't quite a full suit or anything- but it was going to be enough.

Hopefully.

"They're supposed to be padded with magical material... But you should still try and be careful with them. We don't want you ruining your sword-hands, do we?" asked Kelly, with a slight grin.

Marco winced as he tightened the gauntlet around his injured hand. "Uh-... Yeah..." he muttered. Taking a slow, deep breath, Marco clenched his uninjured hand into a fist. "...Alright... So, speaking of 'plans'... Last time, I just had to destroy the golden orb... And whatever 'magic security system' she was using just shut down. So... I think we should try that first. What do you guys think?" he asked.

Buff Frog and Kelly nodded.

"Cool. Let's try and rush it together... Just- You know... Watch each other's backs, okay?"

Buff Frog and Kelly grinned.

"Always."

Marco grinned.

"Yeah. Always."

As Marco launched himself forward with Buff Frog and Kelly in tow, his smile never left his face. Marco gave a loud war cry as he pulled back his fist and punched a robot in the head- sending it flying off of its body. Very quickly, two more robots began to close in on him. One with an arm that turned into a large drill, and the other with an arm that had turned into a chainsaw.

Buff Frog dug his feet into the earth and grabbed the drill with his hands, and Kelly quickly held up her sword to block the chainsaw. Sparks flew over all three of them, as more robots began to close in on them. Each of them transforming in various subtle and not so subtle ways. As Kelly jumped backward to avoid another slash from the chainsaw, Buff Frog slowly lifted the drill-robot into the air and watched it spin around and around as he held its drill arm still.

Marco jumped forward, narrowly avoiding a robot that was swinging around a large saw blade. Marco dodged another swipe and gave a loud yell as he thrust his fist into its torso. The surface of its body cracked under the force of the blow, and Marco was quick to follow it up with another- and then another. Pretty soon, there was another burst of greenish black goo spraying all over the place.

Behind him, Buff Frog swung the drill-bot down on the ground with everything he had. There was a tremendous 'thud' as the robots head was buried into the earth. But as the robot began to flail around, it was obvious that it was not done. Thinking for a moment, Buff Frog shrugged before jumping on top of the robot as it flailed around in the dirt. Buff Frog wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the robots drill-arm, and heaving as he pulled against it. Pretty quickly, the drill arm was torn away from it, sending another spurt of goo gushing all over the place.

Kelly grit her teeth as she exerted as much force as she could into her sword. Her sword met the blade of the chainsaw once more, and then twice more. Each time there would be a loud 'clang', followed quickly by a stream of sparks. Kelly held her own easily against the chainsaw-bot, as it seemed to wave its weapon around seemingly at random. Kelly frowned as she caught the chainsaw with her sword once again. This time robot continued to press against her, sending sparks flying all over the place. Kelly could feel feet being pressed into the dirt under the force of the robots powerful strength. Then, all of a sudden, she smiled.

Taking a deep breath, she twisted herself around- cutting off the teeth of the chainsaw. The robot swayed forward, and Kelly was quick to pulled her sword back and plunge it into the chest of the robot. Just like the others, she received only a gushing splatter of greenish black goo for her trouble.

Marco was quick to dodge, punch and karate chop his way through the group of robots, and before long he had begun to close in on the golden orb.

"No!" bellowed Libraria. "Protect the orb! It's brand new! And I forgot to buy the insurance!"

More robots began to bunch themselves up in front of the golden orb, and Marco suddenly felt long sheets of paper burst out of the ground and wrap around his legs. Behind him, Buff Frog had just managed to bat away another robot using the large drill arm he had torn out of another robot. As he hopped out of the way of another robot- this one with giant scissors arms- Buff Frog noticed the golden orb beginning to rise up into the sky. Thinking quickly, he spun around in mid-air and threw the drill-arm with all the force he could muster.

The orb let out a loud beep before it was suddenly struck by the drill-arm. Immediately, it began to lower back into the ground as arcs of golden electricity began to spray out all over the place. The electricity scorched the grass and the nearby tables, as the orb began to glow brighter and brighter. All of a sudden, all of the robots began to spasm and grow. Forming various weapons all at once and all over their bodies as continually transformed from one shape to another.

Marco grit his teeth as he watched the orb pulse and spasm. The electricity pouring out of it quickly set fire to the wooden fence surrounding the backyard. Marco took a deep breath as he tore himself out of the thick paper bonds, and turned to Buff Frog and Kelly. Without wasting a moment, Marco ran toward the sparking golden orb. Narrowly avoiding the rapidly growing and transforming robots as they writhed and spasmed across the ground.

Standing in front of the golden orb, Marco took a deep breath as he felt the golden electricity spark all around him. Then, he grabbed the drill-arm that was sticking out of the orb and let out a painful scream. Doing his best to push through the pain, Marco kept his grip on the drill-arm and tried to push down on it.

"What're you doing?" bellowed Kelly, as she suddenly appeared by his side.

"It's not finished! It's only _broken_!" yelled Marco.

"Well then I'm helping you!" yelled Kelly.

"Me as well!" bellowed Buff Frog as he suddenly landed on the ground beside them. After taking quick deep breaths of their own, Kelly and Buff Frog grabbed the drill arm, wrapping their hands around Marco's as all three of them felt the same tremendous burst of pain. They yelled out for a moment, but were quick to bite down on their urge to scream. Glancing over at one another, they shared a nod- before they began to slowly drive the drill-arm deeper into the sphere. Arcs of golden electricity exploded out of the center of the orb, and enormous arcs of electricity seemed to flail around in the air as Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog pushed the drill-arm down as hard as they could.

Then- all of a sudden, everything stopped. The robots stopped growing and slowly began to deflate into their previous forms. The arcs of golden electricity suddenly stopped. And for a moment, the light in the orb seemed to go dead.

Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog glanced at each other for a moment.

"Er-... Do you think it is-" began Buff Frog, only to be interrupted by an incredible flash of golden light. Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog recoiled under the bright light, as a burst of energy shot out from the sphere, rising upward as an incredible golden pillar of light. The ground trembled underneath their feet, as the golden orb began to send out powerful shockwaves.

In that moment... Everything seemed to stop.

Marco felt an incredible heat sweeping over him. There was so much raw energy in the air in front of him, that it almost felt like he might ignite at any moment. As he stood there, with Kelly and Buff Frog, he felt something click in the back of his mind.

For the past few months... He had been wondering why it was kept going. Why he continued to live, when so much of his time seemed to be consumed by an ongoing and neverending sadness.

When he came to Mewni, he had dedicated his life to Star. He had become her squire. And he had made it his mission to do everything he could to help her in her journey to become the best princess she could be.

But recently... That had begun to seem like a hollow goal.

The role he had hoped to fulfill in her life... It was already taken by somebody else. And while he could trail behind and help her as best he could... It just wasn't the same.

So why?

Why keep fighting? Why keep getting up every day?

His love for Star no longer seemed like enough. It felt like a chain, dragging him deeper into the depths of despair.

But in that one moment, he suddenly realized something.

He had other people around to fight for.

To live for.

His friends.

His family.

They were all there.

They all loved him.

And he would do anything for them.

As Marco kept his grip on the drill-arm tight, he felt Buff Frog and Kelly's hands tighten as well.

And as Marco felt his consciousness begin to fade, he couldn't help but smile.

'...Thank you...' he thought. 'All of you... For the people kind enough to worry about me... I'll do it. I'll keep fighting.'

With that, everything went black.

* * *

When Marco's eyes fluttered open, he found himself lying in the middle of the singed backyard of the Diaz household. Everyone was standing around him, their faces flooded with concern. As he slowly sat himself up, everyone burst into an incredible cheer. All of a sudden, he was pounced upon by the Buff Kids and by his parents. Sitting down in front of him, Buff Frog and Kelly appeared dazed and confused- that is, until they were both suddenly pulled into the hug by Mr and Mrs Diaz. From amid the crowd, Janna watched the group hug with a small, genuine smile.

"What an incredible show!" yelled someone from the crowd.

"Yeah! Now I see why you decided to be a foreign exchange student in some kinda crazy magical wonderland! You and your friends are incredible!" yelled another.

Marco smiled brightly and from the bottom of his heart.

"Yeah. I'm really lucky."

* * *

Sitting at the dinner table, Tom lazily poked at his melted dessert. The big 'Dinner with the Lucitors' event had turned out to be a slightly more boring affair than he expected. And while he was glad for the reprieve considering the morning he had just had, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Breathing a heavy sigh, he looked over at Star.

"...Hey, Starship? You- uh... You're kinda spacin' out there..." he muttered.

Star blinked, and shook her head. "Oh! Sorry, Tom... I just... I thought I saw something out the window..." she muttered.

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Like what?" he asked.

Star looked down at her food for a moment, the bangs of her long blonde hair hiding her face. "...Well, I thought I saw the moon change color..." she muttered.

Tom scratched his head. "...Huh. That's weird..." he muttered.

Star gave a slow nod. "...Yeah. But-... I was just seeing things. It- uh... It's normal now." she muttered.

Tom looked out the window for a moment and frowned a little. '...Wait- we can't see the moons of Mewni from the underworld...' he thought. Shifting his gaze back to his girlfriend, he couldn't help but notice that she seemed... Troubled.

Tom smiled a little. "Hey, I know... How about after desserts finished, we head out to the Bounce Lounge? I head they just set up a new karaoke thing... And I've been really pumped to try it." he said.

Star grinned and looked up at him with a familiar spark in her eyes. "That sounds great!" she exclaimed, before picking up her bowl and emptying its contents in her mouth. After wiped her mouth with a gloved hand, she gave a satisfied sigh before turning to Tom. "I'm done! What about you?" she asked.

Tom smiled. There was something about watching her suddenly chug a bowl of ice-cream that just seemed so... Star. Star had changed quite a bit recently. Ever since she decided to redouble her efforts at being the best princess she could be. He didn't mind the changes all that much, but it was nice to see even a glimpse of the old carefree Star he had known a long time ago.

Tom quickly slurped up the remains of his desert and got out of his chair.

"I'm ready when you are, Starship." he said.

Star smiled. "...Thanks." she said.

Tom opened a fire portal with a flick of his wrists, and gently took Star's hand in his. The young couple smiled at each other and walked through the portal hand in hand.

Sitting at the other end of the table, Tom's parents glanced at each other, looking mildly bewildered.

"...Well... That was rude."

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

( **AN** : ...So. I worked really hard on this... And... I hope you liked it. And, uh-... I'm sorry it got so crazy long. Apparently, I can't help myself.

I wanna give a warm and heartfelt thank you to everybody who reviewed the first chapter of this story... It really, really appreciate it anybody who takes the time to review this story and let me know what they thought. It helps to motivate me, and it's just really nice to hear from people who appreciate the work I put into this silly hobby of mine.

Very special thanks to **robertkellet** for continuing to be gracious enough to put up with me via email. His input was a big help in this chapter, and it wouldn't have turned out as well as it did without him.)

( **PS** : By the way, I'm sorry if anyone felt a little let down by Libraria's quick 'defeat' at the end of the chapter. In my mind, she had basically just spent a couple of hours in a Quest Buy purchasing a new security-orb, and then just immediately dropped in on the Diaz party. Not much planning on her part- so it made sense that it'd go down the way it did. I'm sorry if I didn't express any of this properly... I was trying to focus more on Marco- and I'd already stretched this chapter out to unreasonable proportions...)

( **PPS** : Also, please note that I'm keeping Star's perspective on things a secret on purpose. We'll see more about her thoughts later on...)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Fractured Bonds

It was a cold, dark night in the kingdom of Mewni. A harsh blizzard swept across the land as the residents of the kingdom huddled away in their homes. Collectively and quietly hoping desperately that they would be spared a visit from 'the Stump'.

Stump Day was a day of unity. Unity in the fear and worship of 'the Stump'. An entity born to punish those it deemed disrespectful of its supreme power and grace. Those who dared anger the Stump during the twenty-four hour period known as 'Stump Day' would find themselves punished by the angry roots of the almighty Stump.

At least, that was part of the legend. Many people on Mewni believed this to be a myth. Or at least, an exaggeration. And Marco Diaz had been one of those people.

Until about twenty minutes ago.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh as he stood with his back against a wall. On the other side of the room, the mariachi band appeared to be getting into full swing of things. As they filled the room with music, everybody else seemed to dancing, laughing or eating cake. Sometimes all three.

Marco smiled a little as he buried his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. It was nice to see everyone enjoying themselves. King River and Queen Moon were laughing together as they danced wildly in each others arms. It was the first time he had ever seen the Queen let loose like that. Starfan13 was busily taking glamour shots of Ponyhead with her bulky looking camera. And Star and Tom were giggling together as they fed each other pieces of rainbow cake.

Marco felt his eye twitch and quickly moved his gaze elsewhere.

It was nice to think that the surprise Quinceañera he had planned for Star hadn't been a _total_ disaster. Just... Most of it.

Marco sighed again. Most of the decorations had been destroyed during the Stump's attack. Along with at least half of the enormous rainbow cake he had spent the last week researching and preparing. And most of Star's birthday presents had been reduced to tatters.

But even still... Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. And that was all he really wanted.

Of course, he still couldn't help but feel disappointed that things hadn't gone the way he planned. He had spent a great deal of time on preparing for this party- only to have it all ripped to shreds by some random magical creature. And the worst part of it all was that the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like it was all his fault.

It was hard to admit, even just to himself. But Tom was right. _Ponyhead_ was right. He hadn't put enough thought into what Star wanted. He should have _asked_. Even if it meant ruining the surprise.

Marco frowned as he breathed a frustrated sigh. '...I just wanted to throw her a surprise party. She loves surprise parties. Mom and Dad threw her a surprise party for over a hundred days in a row... And she never got tired of it.' he thought. '...I guess it's just my luck that I managed to find the _worst_ possible time to throw her a party...'

'And on her birthday too...' Marco's frown softened as he found himself looking over at Star again. '...It's such a shame she has to give up her special day for some dumb _stump_...'

Once again, Marco found himself smiling as he watched Star laugh. She and Tom had their arms around each other, but he quietly ignored that. What really mattered was the smile on her face.

"Happy Stump Day, Marco. Again."

Marco blinked as he Kelly approached him, holding a plastic cup in one hand and a piece of cake in the other. As she leaned on the wall beside him, she let out a long, tired yawn.

"Happy Stump Day to you too, Kelly. Although-... It's after midnight, so I guess... 'Happy Day _After_ Stump Day'?" said Marco, with a soft smile.

Kelly yawned again and removed her glasses to rub her eyes. "Yeah..." she muttered, as she slid her glasses back on to her face. "I still can't believe the Stump turned out to be _real_..." she muttered.

Marco sighed. "...Yeah." he muttered.

Kelly glanced over at him and smiled a little. "You know... You might be being a little 'obvious' there, Marco Ubaldo Diaz." she said.

Marco blinked. "Uh-... What?" he muttered.

Kelly gestured toward Star, and shot him a knowing grin. "You're staring." she said, in a matter of fact tone.

Marco immediately felt his cheeks flush as he quickly shifted his gaze away from Star. "...Right. Sorry." he muttered.

"Oh, it doesn't bother me- I just figured... You know... If you're still planning on keeping quiet about... Well- You know..." Kelly trailed off, but her point was made.

"...You're right." said Marco. "So-... How're you?"

Kelly smiled. "...Tired." she said, before giving another loud yawn. "Sorry. I'm usually a whole lot better at stayin' up late... I guess maybe all the excitement wound up takin' it outta me..."

Marco sighed. "...Sorry about that." he muttered.

"It's not your fault, Marco." said Kelly. "I didn't believe in the Stump either. _Nobody_ did. I mean- except Star..."

Marco sighed again. "...Right." he muttered.

Kelly went quiet for a moment and then gave Marco a soft nudge with her elbow. "So-... It turns out you're a pretty good dancer..." she said, with a grin. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised- After all, I still remember the little show you put on back when we were trying to save the Bounce Lounge."

Marco blushed a little. "Hey- I got carried away in the moment, okay?" he muttered.

Kelly giggled at Marco's reaction. "Hey- I didn't say anything about it being _bad_. In fact- I thought it was kinda _cute_." she said.

Marco rolled his eyes. "...Uh- _huh_..." he muttered. "You're just jealous 'cuz I know how to bust a move when I need too."

"Oh? That kinda sounds like a challenge..." said Kelly.

Marco smiled a little. "...It might be." he muttered. "But- Maybe next time. I'm a little, uh... 'Danced out' at the moment."

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "...That kinda sounds like an excuse to me, Marco Ubaldo Diaz. But... I guess I'll let you off the hook. For now..."

Marco gave a light chuckle. "...Thanks, Kelly." he muttered. As they spoke, Marco found his eye being drawn to the piece of rainbow cake that Kelly was holding. After of all the Stump-related chaos, he still hadn't had the time to try a piece for himself. Thinking for a moment, he eventually decided to try his luck.

"Hey... Do you think you could let me have some of that cake your holding?" asked Marco. "I'm pretty sure the rest of it has either been eaten or ruined by now..."

Kelly gave him an apologetic look. "...Sorry. I kinda already licked it..." she muttered.

Marco raised an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look! I live with a big family! And if you don't mark something as yours, it can be taken away at any moment!" she exclaimed. "Food is a battleground, man."

Marco sighed. "Alright, I get it. I guess I should've grabbed a piece while I had the chance..." he muttered.

Kelly looked down at her piece of cake and then back up at Marco. "...I mean... I guess I could-" she began, only to be interrupted by Marco.

"No, no- Don't worry about it. You're right. Food is a battleground." he said, flashing her a soft smile.

Kelly took a few guilty bites of her cake and sighed. As she licked the icing from her fingers, she desperately searched her brain for a new topic of conversation. "...So, uh... How's your Mom?" she eventually asked, before taking a sip from her plastic cup.

Marco smiled. It had been over a month since the 'Diaz Dinner Party'. In that time, not much had really changed. Star still spent most of her time feeling overwhelmed by a mountain of new princess duties, along with her ongoing investigation into the true history of her family and her kingdom. And Marco still spent most of his time by her side, trying to help her as best he could.

And so had Tom.

Recently, tensions had begun to flare between Marco and Tom. And before the Stump had attacked, those tensions had finally come to a boil, resulting in a short fight between the two of them. Marco still hadn't apologized to Tom for starting the argument earlier, and he didn't really want to.

Marco knew that he was being petty and jealous. But unfortunately, he couldn't seem to help it. The jealousy had been building up for quite a while now, and letting some of it come bursting out in that moment had actually felt a little... Cathartic.

Still- deep down, he knew that he was being a jerk. Tom had been spending a lot of time trying to be the best boyfriend he could be for Star. And while he was doing that, he was also working on himself. Trying to become a better person. Both for Star and himself. And for the most part... It was working.

Meanwhile, Marco was essentially stuck in the same place he always was. And growing ever more bitter and sad as time went on.

It wasn't all bad, though. After the Diaz Dinner Party, Marco had decided to try and reach out to people other than Star every now and again. This had resulted in him taking breaks from his Squire duties every now and again to go spar with Kelly or hang out at the swamp with Buff Frog. And those short breaks had been doing wonders for him.

Every now and again, he would still find himself staring into a dark void. Feeling hopeless, and writhing in despair. But at least now... He didn't feel quite as alone.

"Uh- Marco? Are you there?" asked Kelly, as she gave him another gentle nudge.

Marco blinked. "Huh? Oh... Sorry, I guess I spaced out there for a second..." he muttered, as he slowly rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Mom's doing fine. She's really starting to show now, and she's super excited. Dad keeps going from being excited to being really worried. I think he's child-proofed the house _twice_ now... I think I'm starting to understand where I got my 'safe' side from."

Kelly laughed. "Aw, that's really sweet. Are you still excited about being a big brother?"

Marco nodded and grinned. "Definitely." he said. "I'm gonna be the coolest big brother that there ever was. First, I'm gonna teach them karate... Then, I'm gonna help out with their homework- and anything else they might need help with."

Kelly smiled. "That sounds very sweet, Marco. But what're you going to do while it's still a baby?"

"Don't worry. I already bought a bunch of guidebooks and stuff, so when the time comes, I'll be ready for anything." said Marco, as he proudly puffed out his chest.

Kelly laughed a little. "Yeah, well- I remember having to look after some of my younger siblings and trust me... It can be difficult. So, y'know- Don't be afraid to gimme a call when the time comes. I'd be happy to provide some back up if you need it." she said.

Marco smiled. "Sure. That sounds great." he said.

Marco and Kelly continued to chat amongst themselves for a little while, with topics of conversation ranging from food to movies, to music. Eventually, they were interrupted by a sudden flash of light. And in an instant, Marco and Kelly were suddenly standing back to back in a fighting pose.

Starfan13 laughed as she lowered her camera and picked up the photograph it had just spit out. "Happy Star's Birthday, you two!" she exclaimed, as she held the picture out for them to see. In the picture, both Marco and Kelly looked equally surprised and disoriented.

Before either Marco or Kelly could say anything, Janna suddenly appeared beside them and snatched the photo out of Starfan13's hand. "I'll take that." she said, as she calmly stuffed the photo in her pocket.

"Would you like a photo of the three of you together!?" asked Starfan13, with an excited grin.

"No thanks. But, hey- I heard Tom say that he'd _love_ it if you'd take a couple of photos of him. Just remember to set that camera flash to 'ultra bright'. Remember- there's no such thing as too much brightness." said Janna.

"Okay!" exclaimed Starfan13, before spinning around and quickly running off into the distance. Janna smiled and waved as she left, earning a disapproving look from Marco.

Upon noticing the expression on Marco's face, Janna rolled her eyes. "Oh, lighten up, Diaz. If he bursts into flames again, I'm sure Star'll take care of it." she said.

"That might be true, Janna. But it doesn't mean you should go around playing with fire like that." said Marco.

"Pfft- Like you get to talk, Marco." muttered Janna. "Last time I checked, you were the one who started playing 'argue with the demon'. You two looked really cute when you were wrestling around with each other, by the way." she said, with a sly wink.

Marco ignored her and turned his attention back to Kelly. "So- Where were we? Oh, yeah... You were saying that your older brother was some kinda musician?" he asked.

Kelly smiled and nodded. "Yeah! He's really good, too. He can play a whole bunch of instruments all at once, and he's got a really good singing voice. When I was a kid, I used to be really jealous of him..." said Kelly, sounding wistful. "All the boys in my species are smaller than the girls... But they also get a bunch of extra arms. I was always jealous, 'cuz so many of my brothers were able to do really cool things with their extra arms... There's Jelly, the musician. But also, Belly- he's competing at a multi-dimensional eating contest next year... And then there's Yelly, Melly, and Felly..."

Kelly trailed off for a moment, as she slowly adjusted her glasses and seemed to lose herself in thought. Eventually, she shook her head and smiled. "Of course- I've got a bunch of awesome sisters, too. There's Telly, Helly and Zelly... I don't really get along with Gelly- but, she's got her good points." she said.

Marco smiled "If they're all half as awesome as you are, then they must be one heck of a family." he said.

Kelly laughed and snorted before giving Marco a playful shove. "No one likes a suck up, Marco Ubaldo Diaz." she said, as Marco laughed along with her.

Janna watched the exchange between Kelly and Marco with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. "... _Gross_." she muttered. "Are you two _flirting_ now?"

Marco and Kelly froze mid-laugh and sent Janna a dirty look. " _No_." they said, in perfect unison.

Janna raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? 'Cuz you two look pretty chummy from where I'm standing..." she said, as she flashed them both a sly grin.

Kelly crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "We're friends, _Janna_." she growled.

Janna rolled her eyes. "There's no need to get all huffy about it, Kelly. I'm only teasing." she said.

Kelly frowned. "Well do me a favor and cut it out, okay? I don't like it." she said.

"Are you still mad about what I said before? I was only being half serious about that..." said Janna.

Kelly's frown only deepened as Janna spoke.

Sensing that he had suddenly found himself standing in the middle of some kind of conflict between the two girls, Marco was quick to play arbitrator. After clearing his throat to get their attention, Marco gave Janna a look. "Janna-... What exactly did you say to Kelly before?" he asked.

Janna frowned a little. "I simply asked, in my usual friendly manner, whether or not Kelly was feeling a little jealous of the way you were fighting Tom over Star. That's all." she said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kelly sent Janna another dirty look. "I was only worried because my friend almost got burned to a _crisp_." she growled. "And I still don't get why you didn't seem to care."

Janna rolled her eyes again. "Well, that's 'cuz I don't care about Marco. _Duh_. And I don't care about his dumb, jealous spat with Tom either." she said.

"Oh, yeah? I seem to recall you saying something a little _different_ the _last_ time we spoke..." said Kelly.

Janna grit her teeth. "That stuff was _private_." she hissed.

As tensions began to escalate, Marco quickly stepped between the two angry girls. "Okay, okay- Why don't we all calm down? I almost ruined the party by getting into a fight over dumb stuff... Let's not repeat my mistakes." he said.

Janna and Kelly both huffed and turned away from each other.

"...Come on, you two. Aren't you 'prank buddies'? Or-... 'Hot sauce sisters'?" asked Marco.

"Not everyone needs a stupid nickname for their relationships, _Marco_." growled Janna.

Marco sighed. "Come on, Janna. You and Kelly are friends, aren't you? I know you subsist on the dark pleasure of tormenting others and all- But can't you at least dial it back a notch or two?" asked Marco. "And... Kelly. I know she can be annoying sometimes, but you really shouldn't take anything Janna says too seriously. I know she can go too far sometimes... Trust me, I know. But like she said-... She really is just teasing you."

Kelly breathed a heavy sigh. "...You're right..." she muttered, as she turned back around to face Janna. "...Listen, Janna... My species... Works differently from all the Mewman ones. I don't know a whole lot about you Earthlings, but... It's probably a lot different than whatever you guys have goin' on as well." said Kelly.

"See-... At a certain age, as we grow... We begin to lose more and more of our independence. It's... Kind of a biological thing. Basically... We're symbiotic. As we begin to mature, the boys and the girls are supposed to set out and find partners. When they do, they slowly begin to live off each other. In the best case scenario, they'll support each other on equal footing. Your partner'll become the most important person in your life, and you'll become theirs... And when you start to grow older, you'll begin to fuse together. Becoming one body with two minds.

"There's a lotta pressure to find your partner as early as possible. And most people do. ...And I-... I thought I was one of those people. I thought that... With Tad... I'd really found the partner I was supposed to be with. That's part of the reason I tried so hard to make it work with him. ...But-... It didn't work out.

"And so now, here I am... Single for the first time in what feels like forever... And you know what? It feels... Good. For the first time, I feel independent. And, sure- I've felt lonely from time to time... But not enough to give up this new feeling. All of a sudden, I feel like it's okay for me not to worry about finding a partner. Because, maybe... I'll be fine on my own. Heck- I _know_ I'll be fine... 'Cuz whenever I start to feel lonely, all I have to do is think about all the awesome friends I have. Friends like Marco. And... Well- Maybe _you_... Unless you're gonna keep being a _jerk_." said Kelly.

Janna breathed a long, heavy sigh as she slowly turned to face Kelly. "...Was all that backstory really necessary?" she muttered, as she buried her hands in the pockets of her winter jacket. Feeling the collective gaze of both Marco and Kelly, Janna winced a little and breathed another heavy sigh.

"...Fine." she muttered. "I get it. No teasing you about Kellco. I guess I can live with that..."

Marco and Kelly gave Janna a curious look. "Kellco?" they muttered, in unison.

"That's your ship name. Star and Marco are Starco, Marco and Tom are Tomco... Let's see, there are a whole lot more- but I don't really remember most of them. You can ask Starfan13 if you're curious." said Janna, with a light shrug.

Marco sighed. "...No thanks." he muttered.

Kelly gave a light chuckle as she slowly adjusted her glasses. "Well... Now that all the drama is taken care of... What do you guys wanna do now? It's getting late, but... Well, I wouldn't mind doing one last crazy thing to cap off this crazy night." she said.

Janna rubbed her chin in thought. "Hmm... Well, it's not exactly 'crazy', but... I did recently manage to get my hands on a special uncut version of 'Milkman 2: The Milkening'. It only came out in theatres pretty recently, but... I've got connections. And I hear it's in the running to be the best worst horror movie of the year..." she said.

Kelly blinked. "Huh... An Earth movie, you say? Interesting... The only Earth movies I've seen are the ones Marco showed me..." she said. "Most of them were about this one karate guy who makes a bunch of weird noises when he fights... 'Mackie Hand', right?" she asked, as she looked to Marco for confirmation.

Marco gave a solemn nod. "Yes... Mackie Hand. The master of masters..."

Janna huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Mackie Hand is a total poser. Everyone known Luce Bree is the _real_ king of karate." she said.

Marco gave a melodramatic gasp. " _Blasphemy_!" he exclaimed.

Janna rolled her eyes. "Luce Bree is the one who introduced the magic of kung fu movies to the west! Mackie Hand was just a follower. And a _lame_ one at that!"

Marco huffed. "That's not true and you know it! Sure, Luce Bree was the first- and we all respect him for that. But Mackie Hand brought something new and special to the art of cheesy action movies!"

Janna put her hands on her hips and scoffed. "What, like dumb one-liners and explosions? Please! Luce Bree's movies had _depth_! Plus, every now and again he'd rip a guys spine out! Obviously that makes him the best in _every_ way!"

"I am so sick of having this argument with you, Janna! Ultra-violence doesn't automatically make something better! It's about the laughs you share along the way!" exclaimed Marco.

Janna gave an obnoxious snort as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, please. Don't act like you don't like the violent stuff as much as I do!" she said, with a huff.

"Of course I do! But it's all about finding the right balance! And everyone knows that when it comes to balance, Mackie Hand is truly the master." said Marco.

"Alright- that's it!" exclaimed Janna. "There's only one way to settle this. You and I are gonna show Kelly our favorite Mackie Hand and Luce Bree movies, and let _her_ be the judge! And whatever she says is the final call! The loser has to suck it up, and never mention it again!"

"Fine by me." said Marco, with a huff.

Kelly smiled and laughed. "Alright, I'm in. Sounds like fun." she said.

Marco grinned. "Great!" he exclaimed. "I'm gonna prove once and for all who the _true_ master of karate movies is, _Janna_!"

Janna rolled her eyes at him, but she couldn't quite conceal the small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Whatever, ' _Karate Boy_ '." she muttered.

Marco opened his mouth to retort, only to be suddenly interrupted by a loud, obnoxious voice.

"HEY! EVERYONE! PLEASE FOCUS ALL OF YOUR ATTENTION ON ME!" exclaimed Ponyhead, at an incredible volume.

The mariachi band suddenly stopped playing, and everyone in the room who had been dancing or laughing with each other suddenly stopped and turned their attention to the middle of the room.

Ponyhead loudly cleared her throat, as she hovered above everyone else. "Thank you." she said. "Now, like- everyone group up over here! And hurry it up!"

Marco blinked as he watched everyone in the room grumble lightly to themselves as they all began to group up around Ponyhead. Tom and Star had an arm around each other and a thick layer of cake and icing smeared across their faces. They both flashed a smile at each other as they stood in front of Ponyhead. Behind them, King River and Queen Moon looked tired and hesitant. Starfan13 approached Ponyhead from behind, as she continued to fiddle with her camera.

The mariachi band seemed to be at a loss. Eventually, they seemed to decide on standing perfectly still while everyone else crowded around Ponyhead.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh. "...I guess we'd better go over there too..." he muttered. Janna shrugged, and Kelly gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "Hey- don't worry... I'm sure it won't take too long..." said Kelly.

As Marco, Kelly and Janna joined the group, Tom gave Star a light squeeze. Star smiled brightly as she squeezed him back, not noticing the odd look on her boyfriend's face.

Tom gave a light huff as he kept his eyes trained on Marco. Deep in his chest, he could still feel the fires of rage burning as he recalled their previous altercation. Part of him wanted to confront him again, and maybe vent a little more frustration. While his more sensible side was doing its best to tell him to let it go, and relax in his girlfriend's arms.

Tom grit his teeth a little, as he forced his gaze away from Marco and back to Star. There was something about her bright cheery smile that always made him feel better, no matter what. Unfortunately, even Star's happy face wasn't quite enough to do away with the niggling feeling in his chest.

Why had the argument between him and Marco escalated so quickly? Why did he seem so desperate to turn his surprise party into something truly special for Star?

Was it because he was her friend?

Because he was her squire?

Tom frowned and slowly shook his head. Deep down, he knew the answer. Or at least... He thought he did. And he hoped desperately that his suspicions were wrong. That he was just over thinking things.

But all the signs were there. And they had been getting clearer and clearer as time went on.

Tom snuck another glance at Marco, and his frown deepened. Marco was looking in their direction. More specifically, he seemed to be looking at Star. Tom's jaw tightened, as he did his best to calm the sudden burst of jealous and possessive anger he felt swirling around in his body.

'It can't be true...' he told himself. 'Not now... There's no way...'

"Alright! Is everyone here!? Do I have to keep yelling!? 'Cuz I _will_!" bellowed Ponyhead.

King River politely cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, Princess- I do believe we are all here... Unless you wanted the entertainment to join us?" he asked, gesturing toward the mariachi band.

Ponyhead huffed. "I don't care! Any other questions!? Or can we get this thing started already!?" she exclaimed.

Queen Moon slipped back into her 'Queen' mode with ease, as she gave Ponyhead a look. "What exactly is this 'thing' you are starting?" she asked, in an authoritative tone.

Ponyheads eyes lowered a little under the Queens gaze. "Well... Uh-... I just happened to find a little party thing I thought we could play with together..." she muttered, as she flew over to a table and picked something up with her mouth. After flying back to the group, Ponyhead dropped what looked like a large plant on the floor and gave a satisfied whinny. "Check it out! I almost forgot that I bought this thing!" she exclaimed.

Tom blinked as he and Star leaned in to get a better look. The plant appeared to be shaped into some kind of crown. It was made up of bright red and green leaves, twisted together with golden vines. Scattered amongst the leaves were dozens of small multicolored orbs and dark red ribbons tied into bows.

Everyone stared at the bulky plant-crown for a moment, until Queen Moon suddenly gave a quiet gasp. "Oh! I recognize this! I read about it when I was a girl... This is 'Thistlemoe', isn't it?" she asked.

Ponyhead gave a proud nod. "Yeah! I know how into this Stump Day stuff Star is- she _is_ my best friend after all -and so, I took it upon myself to by this random old 'Stump Day' thing I found on discount while I was out buyin' scarfs." said Ponyhead. "The shopkeeper said it was really rare, or whatever, but he let me have it after I turned on the ol' Pony charm. Also, I gave him money I took outta my sisters piggybank."

"Aww! That's so sweet, Ponyhead! Huuugs!" exclaimed Star, as she slipped out of Tom's grasp to envelop Ponyhead in a hug.

"Aw, girl- Y'know it ain't nothin'. I'm just bein' the best bestie _ever_ is all." said Ponyhead, as she shot Marco a look.

Marco frowned a little, and rolled his eyes.

"Anyhow- I haven't even gotten to the best part yet! Apparently, this 'Thistlemoe' thing has got a lotta special magic stuff goin' on." said Ponyhead, as Star released her from the hug. "The shopkeeper told me that it used to be used in special 'Stump Day Games' and junk. So, I figured- why don't we give it a try?"

Star began to bounce up and down in excitement. "That's so cool! How do we play!?" she exclaimed.

Ponyhead huffed. "I dunno. The shopkeeper kinda got boring after a while. He just wouldn't stop with the obnoxious talking, y'know? You ever meet someone like that? Someone who just seems to talk too much? Like- they just don't seem to get how to end a speech or something, so they just keep on droning on and on, forever and ever until _finally_ -"

"I believe I know how to use it." said Queen Moon, interrupting Ponyhead to the great relief of almost everyone in the room. "From what I recall... One wears the Thistlemoe crown, and it magically coerces its wearer to reveal a deep, fundamental truth about themselves. It was used in the spirit of not keeping anything from the ones closest to you during this day of togetherness and fear... Of the Stump." she explained.

Star grinned. "Ooh! So it's about spilling secrets, huh?" she said, sounding excited. "Sounds like fun! Who wants to go first!?"

Marco winced a little. "Uh... Star? Didn't we kinda go through something similar to this a while ago? And, uh... Didn't that turn out kinda... Dangerous?" he muttered.

Ponyhead rolled her eyes. "Oh, quit living in the past, Earth Turd." she huffed. "I'm sure this is going to work out fine, with no negative consequences whatsoever."

Marco frowned. "...Somehow, I really don't that's gonna be the case." he muttered.

"Oh, what do _you_ know?" said Ponyhead. "Now- Who's gonna be the first volunteer? C'mon, hurry up! We're gonna go through all of you eventually... Unless, you know- it turns out to be super _boring_."

All of sudden, Starfan13 popped up- seemingly out of nowhere. "I'll do it!" she exclaimed, as she lowered her camera and grinned.

"Cool. Thanks for bein' a team player- Now put on the weird lookin' magical plant-crown and let's see what happens!" exclaimed Ponyhead.

Without waiting for Marco or Queen Moon to voice their concerns about the safety of shoving a magical plant on her head, Starfan13 picked up the Thistlemoe crown and put it on. Immediately, the Thistlemoe crown seemed to tighten to fit her head, and the multi-colored orbs that decorated it began to glow. Slowly, Starfan13's eyes began to roll into the back of her head, and her jaw went slack.

"...Being here with Star fills me with tremendous joy... I used to be scared to be who I was... Because people used to call me a freak... But Star showed me how to express myself the way I want to... That it's okay..." said Starfan13, in a slow monotone voice. "She showed me that anything is possible... I love Star, and I love being her fan... Happy birthday, Star."

The orbs on the Thistlemoe crown began to fade, as Starfan13's eyes slowly rolled back into place. "...Whoah-..." she exclaimed. "That was wild!"

Star quickly wrapped Starfan13 in a bone-crunching hug and laughed. "That was really sweet!" she exclaimed. "Thank you, Starfan13! I love being your fan, too!"

Starfan13 blushed and laughed as she slowly pulled the Thistlemoe crown off of her head. "Aww... Thanks, Star." she said.

Ponyhead grinned. "That was pretty cool! Who's gonna be next!? And this time, why don't you throw in some nice stuff about me as well?" she exclaimed.

Tom grit his teeth for a moment and frowned a little. Glancing over at Marco, he took a sharp breath. 'I gotta know for sure...' he thought. 'No matter what-... I gotta know if... If I'm just being dumb and paranoid, or if...'

Tom shook his head and took a deep breath. "...How about Marco?" he said, doing his best to keep his tone as neutral as possible.

Star gave a bright smile. "That's a great idea! Come over here, Marco!" she exclaimed, as Marco recoiled in horror.

"Uh-... No, no! I'm not- I mean... I can't do it, because, I- uh... I'm allergic! Or-... Or something!" exclaimed Marco, as he did his best to back away from Star.

"Aw, don't be silly Marco! C'mon! It's gonna be fun!" she exclaimed.

Marco was overwhelmed with the urge to run. Even if it meant jumping through a window and running through the snow. His entire body was seized with fear and overwhelmed by a sudden burst of adrenalin. Before he had a chance to turn and run, however- Star had already closed the distance between them and shoved the Thistlemoe Crown on his head.

" _No_!" yelped Marco, as he made a desperate grab at the crown- only for his arms to suddenly fall limp. As his eyes slowly rolled into the back of his head, Kelly gasped. As the orbs on the crown began to glow, Kelly grit her teeth and sent Tom a withering glare. It went unnoticed, as everyone focused their attention on Marco.

"...I..." muttered Marco, his voice cracking a little as he spoke.

"...I'm sad."

The smile on Star's face quickly faded away, as everyone in the group suddenly froze.

"...I am truly... Deeply... _Powerfully_... Sad." said Marco. As he spoke, his features began to tremble. "And... I'll always feel this way... Always... Broken... Because I'll never get what I really, truly want... Because... I don't deserve it..."

All of a sudden, Marco grabbed the Thistlemoe crown and ripped it off of his head. There was a long pause, as everyone in the room went completely still and silent.

Marco dropped the crown, and took a long, deep breath.

"...I'm going to bed." he muttered. "Goodnight, everyone. And-... Happy Birthday, Star."

And with that, he turned and left the room.

* * *

For a little while, Marco simply walked down the hallway in a dreary haze. But as he felt tears begin to run down his cheeks, he soon found himself running as fast as he could. His body surged with energy and a powerful whirlwind of emotions. It made him want to scream, cry and laugh all at once.

Everything around him seemed to blur into one long dark corridor. Eventually, he found himself coming to a slow stop in front of his bedroom door. It felt like he had been running for an eternity. His body was drenched in sweat, and still twitching from adrenalin.

As he slowly opened the door, he suddenly realized that he had his dimensional scissors in his pocket the entire time. Breathing a weary sigh, he slowly shook his head. "You idiot..." he muttered under his breath. He was about to step into his room when a voice suddenly stopped him.

"Marco."

Marco paused for a moment, and then breathed another heavy sigh as he spared Tom a glance. It looked like he had been waiting for him. Standing by his bedroom door.

"...You-... You just popped up there... With your fire magic... Huh?" muttered Marco, his mind a delirious mess. "...That's really cool..."

Tom opened his mouth to say something, and then slowly closed. "...I-... I'm sorry..." he muttered. "I'm-... I'm so sorry... It's my fault, I-... I just... I didn't..." Tom gave a frustrated growl as he struggled desperately to find the right words.

"D-don't worry about it..." said Marco. "...I was the one who ruined everything. Again. I-... I... I let... My... Feelings... Take over... And I said stuff to you that-... That wasn't fair. And I-... I made a complete jerk outta myself. Again."

Tom clenched his teeth. "If you're a jerk, then so am I!" he bellowed, as flames erupted all around him. "You were right! I did forget her birthday! And I was jealous that you did! I was angry at myself for being so thoughtless- and I lashed out at you! That's on _me_!"

Tom's voice practically shook the hallway they were standing in, as the flames around him slowly burned brighter. "When you said that I forgot- I got angry 'cuz you were _right_! And you're probably right about everything else! I am a bad boyfriend! And I haven't changed! Look at me! LOOK AT THE WAY I'M YELLING RIGHT NOW!"

Marco grit his teeth, and slowly shook his head. "...No. That's not true, Tom." he muttered. "I've been around you and Star for long enough... And I've seen how happy you make her... How good a team you make... You _are_ a good boyfriend to her. One dumb mistake doesn't change that."

"YES IT DOES!" yelled Tom. " _You_ didn't forget! _Did you_!?"

Marco felt his hand clench into fists as he took a step closer to Tom. "No- I didn't! And y'know what that means!? _Nothing_! Because I went and made it all about myself! Trying to impress her with some big party that she didn't even _want_! All I did was mess stuff up! Like I _always_ do!" he bellowed.

"SHUT UP!" growled Tom. "Don't you talk like that! You're not a screw-up! And don't act like throwing her a surprise party was some big selfish act! You did it because you _love_ her! And you worked really hard!"

Marco froze. For a moment, time seemed to stand still between the two of them.

"...You-... You _know_?" he breathed.

The fire surrounding Tom slowly dissipated, as Tom gave a short nod. "...I-... I had suspicions..." he muttered. "...And I've had them... For a while. But I-... I didn't wanna... Believe it."

Marco looked down at the floor. "...I'm sorry." he muttered.

"Shut up." growled Tom. "I don't wanna hear it. You've done nothing wrong... You-..." Tom paused for a moment, as he felt another burst of anger rising up to his chest. Taking a long, deep breath, he did his best to calm himself down before he spoke.

"...When you came here... And you found out that-... That she was dating me... You could've just _left_. But you didn't. And why? Because you care about her so much... That you were willing to deal with the jealousy... And the pain... As long it meant being by her side... And helping her any way you could. Even if it meant... That you were just a _squire_." said Tom.

Marco frowned and shook his head. "...That's not how it happened." he muttered.

"But it worked out that way, didn't it?" said Tom. "At some point... You figured it out-... And you just... Kept going. You sucked it up, and stood by her. Through _so_ much... Just to help her. To _support_ her. Don't you-... I mean... Don't you get how incredible that is? I-... I could never do something like that. Not without the jealousy eating me alive."

Marco sighed. "...The jealousy _is_ eating me alive..." he muttered, in a quiet voice. "...And-... How do you know that's why I'm staying here? How do you know I'm not just clinging to her out of nothing but desperation and _fear_..."

"Because you're more than that, Marco." said Tom.

Marco took a slow, deep breath as he wiped his face with his sleeve. "...So are you, Tom." said Marco. "...You... You've changed. For the better. And it's not just because of Star. It's because deep down, you're really not that bad a guy. And I mean that."

Tom smiled a little. "...Thanks, Marco. That... That really means a lot to me."

The two boys shared a weary smile, as they stood together in silence. There was still a lot left to be said... But for the moment, they both felt... Satisfied.

Then, all of a sudden, the silence was broken.

"MARCO!"

Marco gasped as turned around to see Star barrelling down the hallway. In a flash of movement, he quickly dived into his room and slammed the door shut behind him. In a flash of yellow and pink, Star sped up to the door and came to a sudden stop. "MARCO!" she yelled again, as she banged on the door. "MARCO! ARE YOU OKAY!?"

Tom watched as Star banged against the door with both hands. Her hair was a mess, and her cheeks were stained with tears. Her voice trembled with a palpable sense of desperation as she banged on the door.

"S-star?"

Star stopped as soon as she heard his voice. How she managed to hear it through all the noise she was making was a complete mystery.

"Marco.." she whispered, as her knees seemed to shake and go weak. "Marco..." she repeated, as more tears streamed down her face.

"...I'm sorry, Star." said Marco, from the other side of the door. "...I-... I ruined your birthday... Just like I ruined Stump Day..."

"I don't care about that stuff, Marco." growled Star, as she stifled another sob. "...I care about _you_."

There was silence again, as Star slowly pressed her forehead against the door. On the other side of the door, Marco did the same.

"...I'm sorry..." he muttered.

"Stop saying that..." muttered Star.

There was another moment of silence, as Star slowly wiped her face with her sleeve and ran her fingers through her hair. Eventually, she took a deep breath and spoke up once more.

"...Marco... Please. Tell me... Tell me what's wrong." she said. "Just-... _Tell_ me."

Marco took a deep breath, and held it. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to let it all out. To finally tell the truth. To stop hiding. To open the door, and tell her that he loved her. That he wasn't sure if he could live without her anymore... That he wanted nothing more than to be the one by her side... Making her smile, and supporting her with everything he had.

Marco grit his teeth.

"...I can't." he muttered. "...I'm sorry, Star."

Star sat still for a moment. Then, she slowly rose to her feet. "...Fine." muttered Star. "If you don't think I can help, then... Fine."

"Star, that's not-"

"No! Forget it, Marco! I get it!" yelled Star. "...I-... I get it."

Tom watched in silence, as Star slowly turned around and walked away. As she left, there were no objections, nor sounds of any kind from the other side of the door.

Tom bit his lip.

"...Listen, Marco... I-... I'm not in really in a position to say this, but... For your sake... You gotta make a choice. If you're gonna stay here... With her... You have to... You have to tell her the truth. Either that... Or-... You're gonna have to let go... And try to move on. Otherwise... You're gonna spend a good chunk of your life wallowing in self-pity and despair. And that's not fun, Marco. And you don't deserve it. Trust me."

With a bitter sigh, Tom disappeared in a burst of flame.

One the other side of the door, Marco slowly slumped over. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, and it took everything he had just to pick himself up and drop himself into bed.

* * *

 _The golden girl stood at the shore, staring out into the horizon._

 _As Marco stood next to her, he felt a cool breeze sweep across his weary frame._

 _It was a cold night. And the moon loomed large in the distance. Taking up most of the sky, and bathing everything in a beautiful red glow. The dark, black ocean in front of them seemed to sparkle with red. And the enormous rock formations all around them seemed to light up along with it._

 _Marco could feel his feet begin to sink into the black sand underneath him. Frowning, he took a few steps forward, hoping to find a more solid footing. As he moved, he suddenly felt grasp his hand._

 _His heart fluttered, as he turned to find the golden girl holding his hand in hers and staring deeply into his eyes._

 _He could see the features of her face. Her light shone too bright. All he could really see was the golden silhouette of a girl he thought he recognized. As she held his hand, Marco felt a creeping sense of dread._

 _"...You're going to disappear again... Aren't you?" he asked._

 _The golden girl slowly reached out, and gently stroked his cheek._

 _Tears began to form in his eyes._

 _"...Please... Please don't..." he muttered._

 _The golden girl was silent. As she always was._

 _"...I wanted to help you..." muttered Marco, as he wiped away the tears. "...But-... I couldn't. At least-... Not enough."_

 _Marco went silent for a while, and the sounds of the dark ocean filled the air._

 _Splashing waves... The soft, cool breeze..._

 _"...I know... That I can't keep going on like this. I-... I thought I could... I thought-... I thought I'd be strong enough... To just keep going... Always keeping everything inside... And helping you as best I could..."_

 _"But... I can't. It's been tearing me apart for so long... And-... I can't keep living like this... Like a broken shell... I-... I have other people... People that care about me... And-... I owe it to them... To try and fix this..."_

 _The golden girl stayed perfectly still, as the wind swept up her hair. Staring at her, Marco felt his heart skip a beat._

 _"...Star..." he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Is this it? Is this... How it ends? Do I just... Let go... And try to live the rest of my life... Without you?"_

 _The golden girl slowly began to rise into the air. As he felt her being pulled away, Marco held her hand as tightly as he could. Tiny golden particles began to break away from her body and disappear into the night's sky. As the golden girl continued to rise into the air, the pull slowly got stronger and stronger. Until finally, it began to lift Marco off the ground as well._

 _Marco grit his teeth, as he felt himself being pulled higher and higher into the air. As the golden girl began to pick up speed, she continued to dissolve into tiny sparks of light. Marco kept his grip as tight as he could, and closed his eyes._

 _If he held on, he would soon find himself plummeting to the ground._

 _If he let go, he would find himself suffering the very same fate._

 _Tears stung his eyes as Marco held his breath._

 _He had to choose._

* * *

The Royal Dining Hall was filled with an eery silence, save for the sounds of King River hastily shoving as much food into his mouth as possible. Queen Moon glanced over at her husband and breathed a small sigh.

The air around the table was thick with tension. Queen Moon had spent most of her life attending meetings where the stakes were often as high as life and death. Whether it was a strategy meeting with her generals, or the royalty of other kingdoms, or the Magic High Commision. Queen Moon had grown accustomed to dealing with a certain amount of tension.

But even she couldn't help but feel a hint of fatigue as she watched Star and Marco slowly eat their breakfast. They were sitting at opposite ends of the table, as far away from each other as possible. Every now and then, Moon would notice Star glancing over at Marco. Her eyes brimming with frustration, along with a small hint of concern. Marco, on the other hand, kept his eyes on his food at all times. His expression entirely blank.

This only seemed to agitate Star further. As she bit into a piece of meat, she gave a low growl before tearing it apart with her teeth. Ordinarily, Queen Moon would attempt to chastise her daughter for such un-princess-like behavior. But Star was obviously on the verge of snapping at any moment, and Moon didn't feel like arguing with her daughter so early in the morning.

And so, she simply watched Star and Marco through concerned eyes as she slowly and gracefully finished her breakfast.

It had been a few weeks since the big 'Stump Day' commotion. In that time, Star and Marco's relationship seemed to have rapidly deteriorated. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen them speak to each other in more than a few words at a time. And they seemed to avoid each other at every opportunity.

Moon had never seen them like this before. Normally, Star and Marco would be sitting with their chairs pushed together as they laughed and loudly discussed their plans for the day.

Something had obviously changed between the two of them. Long before Stump Day, Moon had sensed a growing disconnect between the two friends. For a long time, Moon had simply assumed that Marco was having a hard time adjusting to life on Mewni. Star seemed completely oblivious to this, thanks in large part to how distracted she had become recently. She had become so deeply focused on her new goals that she seemed to miss a lot of the signs of Marco's growing discontentment.

At the time, Moon had assumed that things would work themselves out rather quickly. After all, Star and Marco seemed to share a special bond. One that had always seemed completely unbreakable.

Then, the incident with the 'Thistlemoe' occurred. And all of a sudden, the situation appeared more dire than she had ever imagined.

Marco wasn't just dissatisfied. He was utterly depressed. And in that moment, Moon couldn't believe that she too had managed to miss all the signs. Apparently, it wasn't just her daughter who had been oblivious all this time.

Moon had taken the sudden revelation of Marco's condition very seriously. After all, she was supposed to be acting as some form of guardian over the young boy during his time on Mewni. Much like Mr and Mrs Diaz had for Star. And in hearing the revelation straight from Marco himself, she couldn't help but feel like she had failed.

Moon had always struggled in finding a balance between her role as dutiful Queen, and her role as a mother. And part of her knew that she had failed her daughter more than once by leaning too far into her role as Queen, and not far enough into her role as mother.

After almost losing Star during Toffee's attack, she had resolved herself to be a better mother to her daughter. Unfortunately, she had no real idea how to go about doing that. And very quickly, she found herself reverting back into old habits.

So far, things seemed to have been working out alright between Moon and Star. Moon had been surprised and deeply impressed by her daughter's newfound determination in becoming 'the best princess she could be', as Star herself would put it. She had been making incredible progress, even in her attempts at forging better relations between Monsters and Mewmans. Something that Moon herself had always assumed to be impossible.

She was watching her little girl grow into womanhood right before her eyes. And yet, something still felt missing between them. Their bond still suffered from the same strains that it always had. The fact that Star had still not confided in her about what was going on with Marco was proof enough. Moon had tried a few times to broach the subject with her daughter- but whenever she did, Star would either change the subject or flatly refuse to talk about it. As far as she knew, Star hadn't talked to anyone about Marco. Not Princess Ponyhead, or even her boyfriend.

It seemed to be something that she was determined to push down as far as possible, and ignore.

Moon breathed a soft, weary sigh. As her eyes turned downcast, she failed to notice her husband suddenly stop eating and give her a concerned look.

Why didn't Star trust her enough to confide in her? Deep down, Moon knew the answer. It was because of all the secrets that she was keeping from her. The truth about Meteora, along with some of the details of the true history of Mewni and the Butterfly family. But those secrets could not be given to her until she was officially crowned Queen. Until then, Moon was duty bound to keep them.

Moon bit her lower lip, and River slowly edged himself closer to her. Still going unnoticed by Moon, or by Star and Marco- who were both absorbed in their own thoughts.

'...I'm doing it again, aren't I?' she thought. '...Sacrificing my bond with my daughter... And for what? My role as Queen?'

She sighed, and slowly shook her head. '...No. Almost all of the Queens of Mewni's past were able to uphold both their role as Queen, and their role as mother. They had to- in order that the next in line for the throne be properly prepared.' she thought. '...Why... Why is it that I can't do the same? Why is it that I still feel such a disconnect with my own daughter?'

'...Why is it that I feel so very helpless? Am I-... Am I failing her? My own daughter... All over again?' she thought, as she looked over at Star and then at Marco. '...Have I failed the both of you? In allowing things to go along this way for so long?'

All of a sudden, Moon gave a sharp gasp as she suddenly felt River grab her hand, and give it a light squeeze. Moon looked over at her husband, to find his brilliant blue eyes brimming with genuine concern. His face and beard were completely covered in maple syrup, along with a few fried eggs and some strips of bacon. His knife and fork appeared to have gotten stuck to his forehead.

Moon couldn't help but laugh a little at the serious face her husband had underneath the mess of breakfast foods, causing River to raise a confused eyebrow. He opened his mouth to say something- only to be suddenly interrupted by a sudden burst of music.

" _Space Unicorn! Soaring through the stars! Delivering the rainbows all across the_ -"

Marco hurriedly pulled out his smartphone and tapped on the screen, doing his best to hide a flush of embarrassment as he got out of his chair. "...Sorry." he mumbled, as he brought the phone to his ear. As he walked away from the table while listening carefully to voice on the other side of the phone, he suddenly pulled out his interdimensional scissors and opened a portal. Still holding the phone to his ear, he looked over at Star and quietly cleared his throat.

"Uh-... I'm... I'm not gonna be able to make it to Squire duties today. Sorry." he said, in a quiet voice- before quickly disappearing into the portal.

As Marco's portal dissipated, Star suddenly slammed her hands on the table as she stood out of her chair. "...I'm gonna go somewhere." she growled. "...I'll be back in time to study."

As she moodily stomped toward the door, she suddenly stopped and spun around to face her parents. For a brief moment, all of the anger in her features seemed to disappear. Replaced by a soft sadness. "...I love you, Mom and Dad." she said.

And with that, she spun around again and left the dining hall. Slamming the door loudly behind her.

For a while, Moon and River simply sat there in stunned silence. Eventually, Moon turned to her husband and handed him a dainty napkin.

"River, dear- You, uh... You have a little something on your-... Well... _Everywhere_." she said.

River gave a loud chuckle. "Ah, yes. I got into a little tussle with the syrup dispenser. My hands were already covered in butter at the time." he said, as he peeled the knife and fork off of his forehead. "Yes, I was in a hurry to finish up... I just can't help but feel uncomfortable with the tension between those two. And you know me- I don't like all of that 'teen drama' stuff. It reminds me of my own youth. Oof- Painful days, those." he continued.

Moon smiled. "...Yes, I remember." she said.

River returned her smile, before slowly taking her hands in his and giving them a slight squeeze. "Yes, dear. And I'm sure you also remember how crazy and confusing a time it is to be a 'teen'. All of the drama and such..." he said. "And I'm sure you also remember that eventually... It passes. Just as it did for you and I."

Moon breathed a small sigh. "...I certainly hope it will, River." she muttered.

River grinned. "Oh, of course it will! Those two will work out whatever it is that's troubling them... Or not! Either way, with enough time to grow and mature, I'm sure they'll figure out what's best." he said, as he proudly puffed out his chest. "I believe in those two youngsters. And I believe that no matter what comes their way, they will persevere- and grow to become the best they can be! Or my name isn't River Tidings Johanson-Butterfly!"

Moon smiled and nodded. "Yes... I certainly hope so."

* * *

Star Butterfly breathed a heavy, weary sigh as she made her way up the long spiral staircase to Eclipsa's room. She had been making the journey almost every day for several months now and still, she had nothing to show for it. Every time she visited her ancient ancestor, she would bombard her with questions. And unfortunately, Eclipsa had proved herself to be quite adept at either dodging her questions or simply not answering them at all. Eclipsa also had a habit of throwing out difficult questions of her own. Questions that Star all too often didn't have the answers too.

Their relationship had still remained positive throughout all of this. Eclipsa was incredibly easy to talk too, and she always seemed to exude an aura sage-like wisdom that made her incredibly easy to confide in. But that didn't make Eclipsa's continued evasiveness when it came to the topic of Meteora any easier for Star to take. If anything, it made it all the more frustrating.

As of now, Star and Eclipsa seemed to be at a perpetual impasse. But still, Star wasn't about to give up. There was no way that Eclipsa didn't know anything about Meteora and the true history of Mewni. Eclipsa seemed to know something about everything. Even things that she had no way of knowing. It was hard to tell if Eclipsa simply had an incredible intuition, or if it was something more... Either way, she had become something of a fount of knowledge for Star.

Eclipsa had already taught Star a lot about magic and life in general. Meteora and the history of Mewni seemed to be the only things in existence that would make Eclipsa hold her tongue.

Star sighed again as she finally reached the top of the staircase. It was early in the morning, which meant that the royal guard would be switching shifts. This left her about a five-minute window to burst into Eclipsa's room and talk to her before she was discovered. If the royal guard found her talking to Eclipsa alone, they would no doubt report it to her mother- and there would likely be dire consequences. Her mother was utterly paranoid when it came to Eclipsa- and in all honestly, Star could see where she was coming from.

Eclipsa was a bag full of secrets, and sometimes it seemed like everything she or said was carefully crafted to manipulate the world around her. Still... Whenever Star spoke with Eclipsa, she always seemed utterly sincere. And while it was possible that her sincerity was merely a trick... There was also this strange and subtle shade of sadness in her eyes. Especially whenever Star brought up the topic of Meteora. And there was something about the look in her eyes that made Star believe her.

Even now, Star was hesitant to trust her completely. But more often than not, she simply couldn't help it. Almost everyone else in Star's life seemed to be hiding something... Especially recently. But Eclipsa always seemed to be completely honest with her, and that meant more to Star than she could express.

Star had been getting sick and tired of secrets. Although some part of her understood that everyone had something they would rather not talk about, she couldn't help but feel more than a little fed up about the whole thing. For the past several months, Star had been desperate for answers. Ever since the disaster that was the Mewman/Monster party. She had searched for answers in every place she could think of- both with and without Tom and Marco. And still... She had nothing.

Every magical multi-dimensional library she had visited seemed to have nothing on the subject of Eclipsa or the history of Mewni. All she ever found were a few old scrolls of propaganda, and that was it. Her mother had also been of no help whatsoever. Her continued silence on nearly subject that Star brought to her attention had put a massive strain on their relationship.

No matter what, Star was not about to give up on her quest for answers. She had to know, as the future ruler of Mewni... She had to find the truth about her kingdom. Her home. No matter how painful the truth might turn out to be, she would find it and face it head-on. Only when she had done that could she lead her kingdom into the future. And bring about a new age of peaceful co-existence between the Mewmans and the Monsters.

Or at least... She hoped so. She truly, desperately hoped so.

As she approached Eclipsa's door, she breathed yet another weary sigh. '...Please let this be the day...' she thought. '...The day I finally get the truth.'

After taking the time to look both ways for any signs of approaching royal guards, Star fiddled with her headband a little, took another deep breath, and finally knocked on the door.

"Uh-... Eclipsa? Are you awake?" she asked. "I'm... I'm here for my morning visit... Just like always..."

Silence.

Star began to tap her foot as she waited impatiently for any kind of sound from the other side fo the door. She was just about to try knocking again, when something suddenly poked out from underneath the door.

"Globgor?"

Star blinked as she watched Glossaryk slowly wriggle his way out from under Eclipsa's door.

"...You two hanging out again?" asked Star. Glossaryk looked up at her with a blank expression on his face, and then slowly cocked his head to the side.

"Globgor?"

Star sighed. "...Well, I'm glad that she's willing to keep an eye on you... I can't-... I can't ask Marco to Glossaryk-sit anymore... And the Royal Gaurd are all afraid of you at this point..." she muttered.

Glossaryk blinked with one eye and then the other, before swiftly stretching out one of his hairy legs and scratching the side of his head with his foot.

Star stared at him for a moment, her eyes slightly downcast. "...Are you okay, Glossaryk?" she asked.

Glossaryk looked up at her with a blank look on his face.

"I really hope so, Glossaryk." said Star. "I-... I really hope that one day you'll be back to your old, frustrating self..." she said, as she reached down and gently patted her former teacher on the head.

Glossaryk yawned and stretched out his limbs as Star offered the tiny blue man a sad smile.

All of a sudden, Eclipsa's door swung open. Revealing Eclipsa herself, wearing a bathrobe and pink fuzzy slippers. "Good morning, Star. I apologize for the delay." she said, with a cheery smile. "I'm afraid Glossy here had a little incident with my alarm... Long story short, he managed to _eat_ it. I'm afraid I'll have to send away for another one. I wonder if 'Quest Buy' is still around..."

Star quickly stood up straight and shot Eclipsa a cheery smile of her own. "Good morning, Eclipsa!" she exclaimed.

"Globgor!" exclaimed Glossaryk, before scurrying back into Eclipsa's room.

"Come on inside, Star. I've just put the tea on..." said Eclipsa.

Star grinned and nodded. As she followed Eclipsa inside, she was hit by a wave of strong, familiar smells. Eclipsa's room was decorated with dozens of scented candles. Filling the room with a mixture of powerful scents ranging from sweet to strangely bitter. Each candle burned with a flickering green flame, giving her room a somewhat ominous green glow.

Star closed the door behind her before following Eclipsa over to a small set of table and chairs that sat in the middle of the room. The chairs were formed out of long black tendrils twisted around each other into the shape of an armchair. They were both ancient, and they always moaned and whined in protest whenever Star sat down in one. The table was also black, with a series of images carved all over its surface and outlined in gold. Most of the outlines had faded over time, making it difficult to make out most of the images. But looking closely, it was easy to spot a few outlines of dragons, demons and mewman warriors.

As Star sat down in her chair, Eclipsa sat a large teapot on the table. The teapot was fairly large, and shaped like a portly black dragon. It's surface was decorated in tiny black scales, and its spout was shaped like a horned, snarling dragon. There were small wings on either side of the teapot, and its handle had obviously been shaped to resemble a dragon's tail. The wings on the teapot seemed to flutter a little as Eclipsa poured tea into a delicate green teacup and passed it over to Star.

Star smiled a little as she blew softly on the piping hot liquid, and took a small, cautious sip.

"How was your night, Star? Did you sleep well?" asked Eclipsa, as she poured her own cup and took a seat facing her.

Star nodded. "...Yeah. I, uh... I had another board game night with Tom..." she said, before taking another slow sip of her tea. "That was fun. Unfortunately, I still had a whole bunch of princess work to do afterwards, so... I wound up staying up pretty late."

Eclipsa gave a slow nod. "Ah, yes. Your mother has been working you quite hard recently, hasn't she?" she asked.

Star sighed and nodded. "...Yeah. She keeps giving me all these books to read and pile after pile of worksheets... It kinda reminds me of the way Earth school always gave us a bunch of homework..." she said, as she lowered her gaze. "Of course... The difference is that I'm actually _doing_ this stuff... And-"

Star furrowed her brows as she felt a sudden tightness in her chest. Eclipsa recognized the expression on her face right away. She was thinking about Marco.

Star quickly cleared her throat and shook her head. "Anyway- I kinda wish Mom would try and let up a little on all the 'princess duty' stuff... It feels like I've barely had any time all year to actually have some _fun_."

Eclipsa gave Star a sympathetic smile as she slowly sipped her tea. "Yes, it seems your mother has been quite enthusiastic about preparing you for your role as Queen." she said. "I cannot blame her. Much like myself, your mother found herself quickly thrust into the role of Queen with very little preparation. She must be intensely aware of just how difficult that can be. And I'm sure she hopes to spare her daughter such pain and anxiety."

Star breathed a heavy sigh, and gave a slow nod. "...I know. It's just-... I've been feeling so... _Overwhelmed_..." she muttered. "Especially recently... Between princess duties, trying to find the secrets of Mewni and trying to heal the wounds built up over hundreds of years between Mewmans and Monsters... I'm lucky to find any time at all just to hang out with my boyfriend. Let alone anything else."

Eclipsa nodded, as Star took another sip of her tea.

A long silence filled the room as the queen of distant past enjoyed her tea while calmly observing the future queen. Eclipsa considered letting the subject fall to the wayside, as she had done several times in the past. It was obvious that Star had been avoiding a certain subject recently. And for a while now, Eclipsa had been gracious enough not to bring it up.

But, it felt like enough time had passed. And it seemed that Star was determined not to bring the subject up herself, no matter how much it seemed to be eating her up inside.

And so, Eclipsa drew a long, deep breath and set her teacup down on the table. "...And what of that boy... The cute one who does that little 'sword hand dance'..." she said.

Star bit her bottom lip, and sunk down in her chair. "...Marco..." she muttered, her voice just above a whisper.

"Yes, that's the one. What about him? Have you two gone on any wonderful adventures together recently?" asked Eclipsa, as she leaned her elbow on the table and casually rested her chin in her hand.

Star was silent for a moment. Eventually, she breathed another heavy sigh and slowly shook her head.

"...No." she muttered.

"Is that so?" asked Eclipsa, barely putting any effort into sounding surprised. "Did something happen?"

Star stared down at her tea. Watching her reflection for a moment as a range of emotions seemed to flash across her eyes. Worry. Sadness. Anger. And something else. Something that even she couldn't quite put a finger on.

"...Yeah." she eventually muttered, her voice trembling a little as she spoke. "Yeah, something happened."

Eclipsa reached out and placed a hand on Stars shoulder. "...I thought so. I've noticed these past few weeks... Something has been weighing quite heavily on your mind, hasn't it?" she asked. "...It is not good to keep such things raging on inside you. Please. Feel free to tell me anything and everything. I am always happy to lend an ear."

Star looked up into Eclipsa's eyes for a moment. Eclipsa's eyes overflowed with genuine concern. Star's eyes were brimming with a wide range of conflicting emotions. Eventually, Star lowered her gaze back to the table and took a slow, deep breath.

"...So... It was my birthday a while ago..." muttered Star.

Eclipsa blinked. "Oh, my! Happy birthday, Star! I'm ashamed that I was not aware! I'd have looked for a nice little present for you..." she said. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Star sighed. "...Well-... My birthday is kinda on Stump Day. So... I don't celebrate it on the actual day. I usually wait a couple weeks." she said.

"Oh, is that so? My, how unfortunate to have your birthday fall on _Stump Day_ of all days..." said Eclipsa. "I was never a fan of the holiday myself. I certainly understand the wish to pay respects to those that have made sacrifices so that others may live... But I always found the 'worship' aspect to be quite... _Creepy_. If I may say so."

Star blinked a few times and gave Eclipsa a curious look. "...Is that so?" she muttered.

Eclipsa nodded. "It is _quite_ so. Now then- am I to assume that whatever it is that happened, occurred on Stump Day?" she asked. "That was well over two weeks ago by my estimation... How long were you planning on keeping this bottled up inside of you?"

Star sighed. "...I dunno..." she muttered.

Eclipsa offered Star a sympathetic look, before leaning back into her chair. "...Well then. I believe it's about time you shared the details with me. Why not start at the beginning?" she asked, before taking another slow sip of her tea. "We have plenty of time."

Star bit her bottom lip and furrowed her eyebrows in thought. Eventually, she slowly shook her head and looked at Eclipsa with determination in her eyes. "...I didn't come here to talk about my stuff." she said. "...I came here to talk about _yours_."

Eclipsa breathed a heavy sigh. For a moment, she leaned back in her chair and seemed to lose herself in thought. Eventually, she spoke up again in a hushed tone that Star had never heard from her before. "...You know, you may not believe me Star... But I happen to detest _secrets_. It is my fervent belief that all things should be out in the open. All knowledge is good knowledge, I always say. No matter how painful the truth may be, it is still the _truth_. And I hold truth in the highest of all regards." she said. "I have spent much of my life as a seeker of the truth... Searching among even the darkest corners in all the dimensions. And yet... I find myself sitting here... Keeping things from you. It is a truly uncomfortable position for one such as myself to be in. And yet... Here I am."

"Perhaps this is a sign of my age finally catching up to me..." she said, her tone becoming somewhat wistful. "All of a sudden I've found myself in the position of 'keeper of secrets'. Something I had always resented in the ancient magical creatures I stumbled across during my travels... I suppose one can mark this as yet another trick of fate."

Eclipsa went quiet for a moment. Eventually, she leaned forward and took a slow sip of tea before looking Star right in the eyes.

"Star. You do not need me to provide you with those answers. You have the power to find them yourself... And I'm afraid some truths require a journey in order to be fully appreciated. Besides- Your mother may be right about me... There is no reason to believe that I would not lie to you... To try and manipulate you into doing what I wish." she said. "If you find the answers for yourself, then you may be more steadfast in your belief that those answers are the truth."

Star sighed. "...That kinda just sounds like an excuse to keep me searching for answers for... _forever_." she said.

Eclipsa smiled. "...I suppose it does." she said, as she reached into the sleeve of her bathrobe. "Perhaps... I can offer you a _small_ piece of guidance. At the very least."

Star blinked as she watched Eclipsa produce a small golden envelope from the sleeve of her bathrobe. As she placed on the table in front of her, Star stared at it with her jaw slightly agape. The front of the golden envelope was covered four large red symbols. The two symbols on the right side of the envelope stayed static, while the two symbols on the left side changed continuously. Every now and again, all four symbols would blink, reminding Star of something she had seen on Earth a few times. A digital clock. However, the symbols on the envelope looked nothing like numbers. They also didn't resemble Mewnian writing. They looked altogether different from anything she had ever encountered before.

"...Take it." said Eclipsa. Star blinked again, as she slowly reached out and picked up the envelope. Staring blankly at it as she held it in her hand.

"You will not be able to open it quite yet. And if you try to force it open, I'm afraid the contents may well explode. Or turn to dust. Or possibly _water_. I'm afraid I don't quite remember the details..." said Eclipsa. "But when the time is right... You will be able to open it. And take the first step toward the truth."

Star was quiet for a moment as she stared at the envelope. Eventually, she moved her gaze over to Eclipsa. Then to the envelope. And then to Eclipsa again.

"Wha-... Why now?" she muttered.

Eclipsa smiled. "Because I don't like to lead people in circles the way that the elders of my time did." Eclipsa suddenly lowered her gaze, and her features suddenly stiffened. "...It's not right... Although I suppose now I have some appreciation for how tempting it is... To keep certain things shrouded in darkness... Forever."

There was yet another brief moment of silence between the two of them, as Star struggled to wrap her head around what had just happened, and Eclipsa calmly took another long sip of tea.

"Now then... I've given you something, Star." said Eclipsa. "Now it's your turn."

Star blinked. "...What do you mean?" she asked.

Eclipsa smiled. "Stump Day. And Marco. If you would be so kind... I am quite curious." she said.

Star breathed a long, heavy sigh. Glancing down at the envelope and then back to Eclipsa, she finally gave a small nod. "...Okay." she muttered. "...So, it was Stump Day- and... Well, okay- Maybe I should start over... So... Uh..."

Star furrowed her brows as she struggled to find the right words. Eventually, she sighed again and slowly shook her head. "Okay... So, Stump Day is one of my favorite times of the year. Because it's all about being close to the people you love... And fearing the Stump. And I'm great at both of those things." she said. "And Stump Day itself was really fun. I got to hang out with a bunch of my little cousins, and we drank a whole bunch of this awesome sap cider... Even Marco seemed to be having a good time. And-... That's... That's been kinda rare recently."

Star sighed again, as she began to fiddle around with her teacup. "...All day, he seemed... Excited. And I guess... Now I know why." she said. "...It was 'cuz he'd been planning this whole 'surprise birthday party' for me."

Eclipsa smiled, and slowly brought her hand to her mouth as she gave a light chuckle. "Oh my. How sweet." she said.

Star kept her gaze trained on the table and gave a slow nod. "...Yeah. Except... It was still Stump Day. And-... It's too dangerous to celebrate my birthday on Stump Day. If the Stump sees someone else being on honored on the day that was set aside just for it... Well, there's no way it won't reign down its stumpy wrath on all of us. And that's exactly what ended up happening." said Star. "Although I guess, to be fair- I don't really know if the Stump showed up because of the surprise party or because Janna went and threw our stump idol into the fire."

Eclipsa gave another light chuckle. "This 'Janna' sounds like a person after my own heart." she said.

Star gave a quiet nod, her mind obviously elsewhere. "...Yeah." she muttered. "...Anyway... ...We ended up getting pretty lucky, 'cuz the Stump attacked up pretty close to midnight... And once midnight came, the Stump just... Disappeared. 'Cuz technically, it wasn't Stump Day anymore. ...I guess now we just gotta hope that the Stump doesn't remember what happened and wind up holding a grudge next year..."

Eclipsa shrugged. "Oh, you needn't worry yourself too much about that." she said. "Simply hold another party in its honor and all will be forgiven. Probably."

Star gave another quiet nod. "Mhmm..." she muttered.

Eclipsa leaned back in her chair and waited patiently for Star to find her voice again.

"...So, anyway... After the Stump disappeared, we decided to celebrate my birthday anyway. Most of the decorations had been all busted up, and at least half of the cake had been destroyed- but... It was still a whole lotta fun. Mostly 'cuz so many of my friends were there... And my parents." said Star. "I spent most of the night hanging out with Tom. My boyfriend. And Marco-... Well, he was hanging out with Kelly. He's been doing that a lot lately..." her voice trailed off for a moment, and Star frowned a little before slowly shaking her head.

"...Anyway. We were all having a lot of fun. Then, Ponyhead brought out this thing called a 'Thistlemoe Crown'..." Star continued.

Eclipsa raised an eyebrow but refrained from interrupting her.

"And-... It was just supposed to be this fun, dumb thing. But when I put it on Marco's head..." Star trailed off again, as she felt several strong emotions begin to bubble up in her chest. Star grit her teeth, as she felt a burst of anger. Then sadness. Then more anger.

Finally, she took a deep breath and did her best to calm herself down.

"...So... When I put it on Marco's head... He said... In a really serious, emotional voice... That-... That he was sad. Really, really sad." said Star. "And then-... He just... He ripped off the crown and walked off. For a while, all of us were kinda left wondering what exactly had just happened. Then I saw Kelly march up to Tom, and- Well, I don't think I've ever seen her look so angry. Tom told her something- and then he just disappeared in a burst of flames."

"...It, uh... It kinda took me a while to process what was going on. I remember... Ponyhead nudging me with her horn... And Mom and Dad talking amongst themselves... Looking worried..." said Star. As she spoke, her voice trembled ever so slightly, and without realizing it, she had balled her hands into fists. "When everything finally clicked for me, I just... I started running. As fast as I could. And-... As I ran... I just... I felt this wave of desperation that... Honestly, kinda scared me. In that moment, it kinda felt like my whole world had just started... Falling apart..."

Star bit her lip. "...I-... I've known that... That there was something 'up' with Marco for a while now. I was never totally sure what it was, but..." Star breathed a heavy sigh. "...I guess-... I thought that maybe... He was mad at me."

Eclipsa took a long sip of tea. "Is that so?" she muttered, as she set her teacup back down on the table. "...What made you think that?"

Star placed her hands in her lap and frowned a little. "...I-... I dunno... I guess... Well-..." Star sighed again, and stared down at her hands. "...Every now and again... When I look at him... I catch him making a face. It's usually somewhere between a wince and a grimace. A 'grince'. I only see it for a moment- and whenever he notices me looking at him... He'll look away. And-... Sometimes, when I hug him... He just kinda freezes up. Sometimes he'll even start backing out of it right away. He's even left me hug-hanging a couple of times... And he never used to do that."

Star bit her bottom lip as she slowly clasped her hands together in her lap. "...He doesn't talk to me the way he used too. He-... He's been keeping stuff inside. A whole bunch of stuff... A lot more than I thought." she muttered. "He's been getting more and more distant. I-... I can feel it. It's like... The Marco I used to know has just... Drifted away. He still helps me out with my princess duties... And-... He's been a great squire. But-... I feel like..."

Star's grip tightened, as her voice began to tremble again. "...It kinda feels like he's become more of a squire than a friend. And-... That's not what I wanted. I made him my squire so that we could be friends again. So that we could hang out and do fun stuff together... Like we used too... And I just-..." Star cut herself off, as she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. Her chest felt heavy, and her mind was swirling with a mess of emotions. Star sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes.

"...Why couldn't it just be like how it used to be?" she asked, her voice swelling with emotion. "...How-... How did I let things get this bad? I-... I don't get it! Why-... Why was I so afraid to confront Marco about this sooner!? Why did I wait so long!? And-... And why won't he tell me what's wrong!?" as she spoke, Star's voice got progressively louder. Soon, she found herself standing out of her chair and leaning over the table, focusing her teary eyes on Eclipsa with an intense stare.

"I-... I knew that he was feeling out of place here! And-... And I wanted to help him adjust more! But-... But I had other stuff I had to do! And-... And I thought Marco could handle it! He's _Marco_! Marco's always been able to adjust to the crazy stuff that follows me around!" she exclaimed. "But- But he couldn't! I thought he just needed some time, and he'd get better on his own... But he just got _worse_! And-... And when I shoved that Thistlemoe crown on him... And he was supposed to tell everyone his deepest truth... He said that- He said..."

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, but in the moment, Star didn't seem to notice. "He said that he was sad! That was his deepest truth! He's miserable here! He's miserable with _me_!" she exclaimed. "And-... And... I'm just so angry! I'm so, _so_ angry! Angry at everything! Angry at him for butting into my life the way he did! Angry at him for keeping his feelings bottled up! And treating me like I'm not even his best friend anymore! But most of all- I'm angry because it's all my fault! All of it!"

"I should've let him go back to Earth! I should never have made him my squire! All that did was make him miserable! And-... And I pretended that I didn't really notice... Becuase I didn't wanna admit that I made a mistake! I didn't want to face the possibility that _I_ was the one making him feel this way!" exclaimed Star. "And! And-... I didn't... I didn't want to admit... That I was losing him all over again... But-... But worse! Because now... Now I don't even know if we can be friends anymore."

Eclipsa gave Star a soft, sweet smile. "It's okay, dear. Let it all out." she said, in a quiet, comforting tone.

Star slowly sat down in her chair as her entire frame began to tremble. As she buried her head in her hands, she began to quietly sob as weeks of tremendous anguish began to pour out of her all at once. Eclipsa calmly got out of her chair, walked over to Star, and wrapped her dark purple arms around her. Squeezing her tight and pulling her into her chest. As Star continued to sob, Eclipsa calmly stroked her hair and cooed softly.

"It's okay, dear. It's okay." she whispered.

Star cried for a while, her body trembling even in the warmth of Eclipsa's embrace. Ever since Stump Day, Star had felt as if she were on the verge of falling apart. It reminded her of the devastation she had felt when her Mewman/Monster party had fallen apart, all thanks to an attack by Mina Loveberry. Her one time greatest hero. That night, she had felt as if everything she had worked for had dissipated in front of her very eyes.

Ever since defeating Toffee, Star had dedicated herself to becoming something better. For the first time in her life, she had actually wanted to try and grow up. It felt right. It felt like what she was supposed to do. And she genuinely believed that if she managed to change for the better... Then she could fix all that was right in the world.

On the night of the Monster/Mewman party disaster, she was suddenly faced with a painful truth.

She hadn't changed. She was still the same immature princess she was before. Some dark, awful part of her wanted to blame Marco for that. To her, in that moment, he represented everything she used to be. Including many of the things that she truly hated about herself.

And Tom... Represented something new. A new chance. A new opportunity... To grow up and become something incredible.

But deep down inside, she knew that none of that was true. None of it. As good as it felt to be comforted by Tom that night... To be held in his warm embrace, and to be told that everything would be okay... Somewhere in the deepest part of her... The part that she had tried so desperately to lock away and move on from...

She knew that there was something missing. And it made her feel all the more desperate and alone. Everything was wrong, and she didn't know how to fix it.

As she continued to release a torrent of long-withheld emotions, Eclipsa held her as tightly as she could.

"It's okay, dear. It's going to be okay." she whispered.

As Star continued to cry, she truly and desperately wished that she could keep believing that. But at that moment... Nothing could seem further from the truth.

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

(( **AN:** So... I'm sure many of you are disappointed by the length of this chapter... Fortunately, I do have an explanation. See, I actually decided to split the 'Chapter 3' I'd been working on into two parts. I decided to do this after it began to climb over the 30K mark. At that point, it was beginning to feel a little ridiculous- even for me.

I'm really sorry that there were no big action sequences or anything like that this time... I honestly wasn't expecting to have to post the chapter this way. I hope that you're able to find it acceptable all the same.

Obviously, I have a pretty good headstart on Chapter Four now, but it's still not quite finished. It might take as long as a week- maybe more. Once again, I apologize.))

 **PS** : Another big shout out to **robertkellet**. This chapter has been particularly challenging for me, and he has been incredibly helpful and patient. I can't thank him enough.

 **PPS** : To those who left reviews as 'Guests', obviously I'm unable to PM you a response individually. I think I might give responses to here at the end of the chapter. For those reviewers who login and review, I'll continue to respond via Private Message.

 _Anonymous_ \- I did take your criticism to heart, and I hope to do a better job handling Star in the future. I do disagree with the idea that Star is closer to Marco than Tom at this point, however. If anything, I think the end of 'Monster Bash' really reinforces the TomStar relationship and does nothing for Starco. But then, that's just my own opinion.

 _MaybeYouKnowMe_ \- Thank you very much for the kind words. It's always appreciated. Sorry about the lack of Buff Frog in this chapter... He'll definitely show up in the next chapter. I'm actually not a fan of TomStar by any stretch, but I did wanna try and treat it with some kind of respect- and at least show that they really do make each other happy. I don't know how successful I've been at that, but... Yeah.

Until next time... Have a good day, everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: The Jerk Knight

Yvgeny Bulgolyubov or 'Buff Frog' as he had come to be known, had lived a fairly interesting life. He was raised as a tadpole in an old, run-down orphanage for monsters. His parents had either died or abandoned him. He wasn't sure which. Either way, he found himself growing up alongside many other monsters with similar stories.

Growing up as an orphan and learning to make his own family among the friends he had made was part of what helped cultivate his fierce sense of loyalty. And it was something he would carry with him until the end- for better or worse.

There was no actual school at the orphanage. All they really ever received in terms of education was an hour-long lecture once a week by Ms Terror. Buff Frog wasn't quite sure that the elderly monster in charge of the orphanage was really named 'Ms Terror'. But it was the only name he remembered her by. And it certainly fit.

Once he was of age, Buff Frog set out with a small number of friends to make a name for himself. Unfortunately, there really weren't a lot of options out there for a young monster. Especially one that had been born poor and barely educated. The best he and his friends could do was either work in the Rainbow Mines, or join the so-called 'Monster Rebellion'. A small group of self-described anarchists that had dedicated themselves to toppling Butterfly Castle and taking Mewni back for the monsters.

The Monster Rebellion was always looking for poor and under educated monsters to use as cannon fodder in their war aginst the Mewmans. And many of Buff Frogs oldest friends couldn't pass up the chance to take revenge on the Mewmans for all they had done to monster kind. Buff Frog himself had never been a stranger to violence. In his younger days at the orphanage, he seemed to get into a new fight at least once a day. Usually, it was to defend one of the smaller monsters against a bully. Of course, he had never really shied away from picking fights for more petty reasons.

Like if someone insulted his head-flippers, for example.

But something about joining the Monster Rebellion didn't really sit right with Buff Frog. After all, he had gone his entire life without ever meeting a Mewman. All of the cruelty he had seen throughout his life had come at the hands of other monsters. Why waste time trying to keep alive a conflict that had been going for centuries? Was staging a violent rebellion truly the best way for Monsters and Mewmans to resolve their differences?

Of course, he understood the sense of anger that drove some of his friends to join the rebellion. Mewmans had a long history of oppressing monsters. Driving them further and further into Forest of Certain Death and away from their precious kingdom. It seemed like all throughout history, Mewmans were always looking for another thing to steal from the monsters. Generations of monsters had lost their homes, their livelihoods- and all too often, their lives.

Still, even knowing all of this- Buff Frog simply couldn't find it in his heart to take up arms against an enemy he had never even met. And so, Buff Frog joined the rest of his friends in working in the Rainbow Mines.

Years passed by slowly. Over time, Buff Frog found himself attending the funeral for one of his oldest friends. And he could only stand in quiet horror as he soon himself attending funeral after funeral. His first friend had died as a part of the Rebellion and was given a hero's send-off. His second friend had died of 'Rainbow Disease' from the mines. His funeral had been much less eventful.

One by one, Buff Frog watched as more and more of friends began to die off. A small group of his Rebel friends had died during a Mewman raid on the Rebellion headquarters. Another one of his friends fell to disease, and another died during a drunken dispute in the middle of the night.

Within the span of ten years, Buff Frog was the only one left from the orphanage. In that time, Buff Frog had quit his job in the mines in order to follow a career in speed eating. Only to pull his stomach during a tragic eating accident, and find himself no longer able to compete. As he began to spiral into despair, Buff Frog started taking job requests from some particularly shady monsters.

It started out as general 'bodyguard' work. Nothing too demanding. All he had to do was use his natural 'buffness' to scare away any undesirables. But as Buff Frog fell deeper into sadness, he soon found himself taking jobs that he would have avoided otherwise. Soon, he found himself beating up other monsters for 'protection' money and dealing in various other criminal enterprises. He was always 'the muscle'. Which worked fine for him. The less he had to think about what he was doing the better.

Then, one day- he stumbled upon an unusual job request.

'Be My Friend - Fifty Bucks plus Food and Board'

Buff Frog could still remember scribbling down the address on his hand, and wondering if it was just someone's idea of a joke. But when he made it to the gates of Castle Avarius, he was surprised to find that the job listing was completely sincere. And it had been made by none other than Prince Ludo Avarius, a member of one of the few remaining Monster Royal Families.

Ludo didn't seem to understand how friendship worked. And for the most part, Ludo simply treated Buff Frog like a servant. And after a while, Ludo's continuous and annoying demands began to grate on his nerves. Then, one night Buff Frog decided to call it quits. Living in a castle was not worth dealing with such a little _brat_. It was obvious that living his entire life as royalty had made him selfish and spoiled. And being the runt of his rather enormous family had given him a deep-seated inferiority complex that seemed to manifest itself in incredible bouts of narcism and paranoia.

But on the night that Buff Frog threatened to leave, he saw something else in Ludo. Something different. It was brief- but in that moment, Buff Frog saw a flash of sadness in his eyes that he recognized all too well. Deep down, Ludo was just a sad, lonely monster. Just like himself. And in that moment, Buff Frog thought that maybe... Just maybe... They could help each other.

Unfortunately, that never happened. Ludo soon recruited a bunch of other monsters as 'friends', and quickly became obsessed with the idea of stealing the Royal Magic Wand, and ruling over all of Mewni. Somehow, over time Buff Frog managed to convince himself that what Ludo wanted was also what he wanted. If Ludo became the ruler of Mewni, Buff Frog thought, then he would usher in a whole new era for Monsters everywhere. No longer would Monsters have to scurry away into the shadows of the Forest of Certain Death. Together, they would build a brand new kingdom and live forever in peace and harmony.

His younger self would have called him a fool. His younger self would have told him how much he sounded like the monsters of the so-called Monster Rebellion. And reminded him of their fate. But Buff Frog was in no condition to think of such things. He had grown desperate for something, _anything_ , to latch onto. All he wanted was to feel like he was a part of something bigger. And most of all- to feel like he had friends again.

For a brief time, it felt like he had truly achieved that goal. But all of that fell apart with Toffee's arrival.

Once again, Buff Frog found himself spiraling into despair. Only to find a spark of hope in the last place he ever expected to find one. On the night that he found himself kicked out of Ludo's castle forever, he found himself back on Earth, sitting in his old 'spying tree' and reveling in misery. He was cold, hungry and alone for the first time in a while. And even though he knew the feeling pretty well by now, it still hurt.

Then, all of a sudden- he received something. A gesture of kindness from none other than Star Butterfly- the Princess of Mewni he had been spying on and generally harassing for the past few months. It was something very simple. A plate of buttered corn, left on the windowsill. But in that moment, it had meant everything to him.

"And-... And the corn... She was... Blugh... Good... Very... Butter-... Buttery... Yes."

Marco Diaz gave a patient nod, as he gently dabbed at Buff Frogs forehead with a damp cloth. "I remember. I actually watched her do it..." he muttered, with a smile. "...I was so proud of her in that moment. She really is special... Isn't she?"

Buff Frog gave a weak smile. "Yes... Miss... Princess... Star Butterfly... Is good..." he said, his voice low and rasped. "Truly... Truly good..."

As he spoke, Buff Frogs eyes fluttered open and closed. He was obviously delirious, and he had been sweating a thick green slime all day. All Marco could do was change Buff Frogs sheets every few hours, and do his best to keep him warm. Which was difficult to do inside a frosty shack made of mud. Still- Marco did his best to keep Buff Frog comfortable as he writhed and groaned in his bed of mud.

Apparently, Buff Frog had been sick for a few days now. Unfortunately, he had stubbornly refused to get some much-needed rest- and as a result, he had made himself much worse. Sometime very early in the morning, Marco received a panicked phone call from Katrina, after she had found her father collapsed outside of his bedroom, oozing with goo and groaning in pain.

Marco had wasted no time in grabbing his dimensional scissors and hurrying over. After doing his best to settle down the frightened and teary-eyed Buff Kids, he managed to heave Buff Frog back into his bed and made an emergency call. Kelly had arrived on the scene halfway through the explanation, and together they had both spent the last several hours taking care of Buff Frog. He was a complete delirious mess, and he had spent the last few hours drifting in and out of consciousness to tell his life's story.

"...My Buff Babies... Have given me... Something... That I was always wanting... A family..." muttered Buff Frog. "...I-... I love them... So much... I-... I am owing... All of the happiness I have... To them..."

Marco gave Buff Frog a soft smile. "I know, Buff Frog. And so do they." he said.

Buff Frog chuckled a little, but it quickly faded into another long groan. "Oof... I-... I am not remembering... The last time... I-... Was being... So... Sick..." he muttered. "...Karate Boy... If-... If I do not make it... Promise me... You will look after... My babies..."

Marco frowned a little. "Hey. Don't talk like that-" he began to say, only to be interrupted as Buff Frog placed a slimy hand on his shoulder.

"Please. Karate Boy... I am knowing... That this... Is a tremendous thing... To ask... Of someone so young... But I am trusting you..." said Buff Frog, with a quiver in his voice. "I know... You would make tremendous guardian... To my babies..."

Marco grabbed Buff Frogs hand and looked at him in the eyes. "Listen, Buff Frog. Kelly already asked her parents to prepare some kinda secret family remedy just for you. She seemed super confident that it'd help. She already promised the Buff Kids that it'd make you all better. And you know Kelly- she keeps her promises." he said. "...Just hang on a little longer, okay? Don't you go giving up on us. You've still got a lot of time left, Buff Frog."

Buff Frog gave a weak smile. "...Thank you, Karate Boy..." he muttered. "...Did I... Ever tell you... About the orphanage... I grew up in?"

Marco smiled. "Yeah. Twice now. But why don't you go ahead and tell me again?"

As Buff Frog began to speak, the combination of his deliriousness, the rasp in his voice and his accent quickly reduced everything he said into an incoherent mess. Still, Marco stood by his side, patiently dabbing at his forehead and nodding along with him. Buff Frog had been talking like this for quite a while now. It seemed to help distract him from how terribly ill he felt. And Marco was happy to lend him a sympathetic ear. After all, Buff Frog had done the same for him on more that one occasion now. Marco was glad to return the favor.

As Buff Frog slowly began to fade back into unconsciousness, Marco found his gaze wandering over to Buff Frogs bedroom window.

Marco guessed that it was some time in the mid-afternoon, judging by how bright it was outside. Winter was finally drawing to a close in the land of Mewni. And while a great deal of the land remained covered in a sheet of ice, most of it had finally begun to melt away. Allowing Mewni's natural beauty to finally come peeking out through the snow as spring drew ever closer.

As Marco stared out the window, his gaze swept across the valley of dark trees that surrounded Buff Frogs swamp. As his gaze wandered over the trees and into the horizon, his eyes were quickly drawn toward the castle that stood far off in the distance.

Butterfly Castle. He had been living there for almost a year now, yet it still managed to inspire a sense of awe. Equal parts enormous and majestic, the castle was truly a magical sight to behold. Star had once told him that Butterfly Castle was so big that one could spot it from anywhere on Mewni. And Marco believed it.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh as he felt a familiar twinge in his chest. In quiet moments like this, whenever he let his mind wander, it always seemed to come back to the one subject that he had been trying desperately to avoid.

Marco slowly shook his head and sighed once more. It had been a while since the last time he had talked to Star. After Stump Day, it had gotten harder and harder to face her. He still did his best to fulfill is squirely duties by helping her with her numerous princess duties, along with all of the homework that the Queen had assigned her. But for the most part, they had been avoiding each other.

This had been going on for a while now. At least a couple of weeks. But it felt like much longer. Whenever they were in the same room together, the air would quickly fill with tension. Neither of them seemed to know what to say to each other, so they would simply remain silent. Only speaking to each other when it was absolutely necessary.

The whole situation was as exhausting as it was painful. It was beginning to seem like he had no options left. He was no longer just hurting himself by staying with Star. Now he was hurting her as well. By worrying her... And distracting her. It was becoming painfully obvious that one of his worst fears had been realized.

He had become a burden to her. Another problem for her to deal with. On top of the near endless mountain of them that she had been carrying around after she had dedicated herself to becoming a better princess, and building a better Mewni.

She was already overwhelmed as it was. And the last thing she needed was another problem.

Marco grit his teeth as he felt his chest tighten and grow heavy. Deep down... He knew what he had to do. He had been avoiding it... Hoping desperately that somehow... Some way... Everything would work out.

But it wasn't going to work out. That much was obvious by now.

Marco knew what he had to do now. It was going to be one of the most difficult things he had ever done... But he was sure that it was the right thing to do.

Well... Mostly sure.

"I'M HERE!"

Marco blinked, as Kelly suddenly burst into the room and began marching toward Buff Frog with an enormous cauldron in her arms. Hopping along behind her were the Buff Kids, each one of them croaking loudly with worry and excitement.

"Make way for Aunty Shrubbery!" announced one of the Buff Kids.

"Karate Uncle! Aunty Shrubbery says she's got the medicine for daddy!" exclaimed another.

Kelly gave a low grunt as she heaved the large cauldron over her head. "Yep! Sorry it took so long! It took a while to prepare. I kinda had to fight a bunch of angry snake-squirrels in order to get the berries, and- Y'know what? Never mind." she said, as she turned to face Buff Frog. "Hey? Buff Frog? Are you okay?"

Buff Frog gave a low groan, and his head-flippers trembled slightly.

"He's been in and out of consciousness for a while." said Marco. "And hey- I thought I told you kids to stay in the living room. We still don't know if what your father's got is contagious."

All of the Buff Kids began to croak and bounce in protest all at once, as Marco gently ushered them out of the room. "Come on, guys. I know you're worried about your dad. But you know that the last thing he'd want is for you to get sick too." he said.

Kelly loudly cleared her throat. "It's okay, Marco! 'Cuz this potion I've got's gonna cure Buff Frog right away! Trust me. My parents are _amazing_ doctors." she said. "All we gotta do is make him chug this whole thing. Trust me- he'll be back to his old self in no time!"

Marco smiled, and the Buff Kids began to bounce and croak with excitement once again. "That's good to hear." said Marco. "Uh-... Do you need some help with that big cauldron thing? It, uh-... It looks really heavy."

Kelly nodded. "That's 'cuz it _is_ really heavy. And sure- Can you grab that side, and I'll grab this side?" she asked, as she slowly and carefully maneuvered the cauldron off of her head. Marco reached over and grabbed a small silver handle on one side of the cauldron. Marco winced a little as he felt the weight of the cauldron pull against him, and he had to quickly grab the handle with his other hand to keep his grasp from slipping.

"Oof- You really weren't kidding..." he muttered.

Kelly gave a loud snort. "Aw, c'mon. It's not _that_ bad!" she exclaimed.

Marco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." he muttered. "Alright- So, what do we have to do? Just- uh... Pour it into his mouth?"

Kelly nodded. "Yep! But, uh- We should probably wake him up first. I'd rather not drown him in the stuff." she said.

Marco nodded. "Okay..." he muttered. "Hey, Buff Frog? Kelly's back with the medicine... We need you to wake up again for just a second..."

Buff Frog twitched a little, and then let out a low grumble.

Kelly thought for a moment. "...Hey, Buff Kids! Can help us out here?" she asked.

The Buff Kids quickly raced to the foot of Buff Frogs bed and began to hop and shout.

"Wake up, Daddy!"

"Daddy! Daddy! You gotta wake up!"

"Father! Awaken! I command it! MAKE IT SO!"

"Nadia! That's _too_ loud! You'll make him deaf!"

"SILENCE!"

"That's not gonna work either, Nadia."

"Why must I suffer such foolishness!?"

"I am feeling like we are being off the track..."

"Yeah, guys! Listen to Mikhail! We gotta work together if we're gonna do this right!"

"Pfft- That's your answer for _everything_ , Anya!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

As the Buff Kids began to argue amongst themselves, Buff Frogs face slowly began to twitch. Suddenly, Buff Frogs eyes fluttered open. "...Kids... No... Arguing..." he muttered. "Remember... No matter what our differences... We are still being... Family..."

The Buff Kids blinked in surprise but quickly shook it off. Their brief argument now completely forgotten, the Buff Kids began to hop and croak in excitement. "Daddy! Daddy! Kelly's got the medicine! You gotta drink it up!" they exclaimed, in near unison.

Buff Frog smiled a little and then blinked several times as he struggled to make out the blurry outlines standing in front of him. "...Is this... Karate Boy? Shrubbery Girl?" he mumbled. "...Somebody... Has made you... Very... Blurry..."

"Buff Frog! We need you to open wide and drink up a whole bunch of this medicine my parents whipped up!" said Kelly. "It'll make you feel better, I promise!"

Buff Frog gave a long, weary groan, and his eyes suddenly fluttered closed. Marco and Kelly shared a concerned look, while the Buff Kids quickly began chanting at their father. Begging him to wake up in as loud a voice they could muster. Which turned out to pretty loud, judging from the way the entire house seemed to tremble under the force of their collective voice.

All of a sudden, Buff Frog sat up. His eyes fluttered open once more, and he quickly yanked the cauldron away from Marco and Kelly. Everyone watched in stunned silence as Buff Frog lifted the enormous cauldron in the air, and then poured its contents into his mouth. After guzzling the contents of the cauldron in one long slurp, he threw it to the side and laid back down.

The cauldron landed with a loud thud. Marco and Kelly blinked and glanced at each other. Then, they watched as the thick green slime that covered Buff Frogs body began to congeal and fall off in clumps. And very quickly, his features began to brighten. The look of pain that had been etched on his face for the past several hours seemed to fade away. Replaced by a soft smile.

"WE DID IT!" exclaimed the Buff Kids, as they began to hop and cheer.

Kelly smiled. "Yeah... Looks like it." she muttered. "But- He's still gonna need some sleep. So... What do you say we all go out into the living room, huh? Maybe Karate Uncle can read us all a story while we wait for Buff Frog to wake up."

The Buff Kids gave another round of excited cheers. As they all rushed out of the room together, Marco noticed one of them trailing behind. It appeared to be Anastasia. The quiet one. Marco recognized her because for some reason, she had been wearing an eyepatch all day. As he watched her join her siblings, Marco couldn't help but scratch his head a little.

Something had seemed a little 'off' about Anastasia today. She was always quiet. But something felt about it felt... Different. She seemed distracted. And he had noticed her seem to flinch whenever he spoke to the Buff Kids as a group. Marco frowned a little and made a quick mental note to ask Kelly about it later.

"Marco? Are you coming?" asked Kelly, as she stood in the doorway.

Marco paused for a moment, and then slowly reached out to touch Buff Frogs forehead with his hand. As he felt Buff Frogs temperature begin to cool, he breathed a short sigh of relief before turning his gaze to Kelly.

"Yeah. Let's go." he said.

As he followed Kelly into the living room to entertain the Buff Kids, Marco smiled a little. Being around Kelly and the Buff Family always seemed to lift his spirits. And even though he still felt the same lingering sadness deep down- as he always did- in that moment, it felt... Manageable.

And as soon as he went back to Butterfly Castle, all of that would fall away. And he'd find himself alone in his bedroom again. Staring up at the sky, and feeling utterly miserable.

Marco took a slow, deep breath.

It had to stop. He had to put an end to this. Not just for his sake- but for Star's as well.

'...Tonight.' he thought. '...Tonight... I'll tell her. I'll do what I should've done in the first place... And put an end to this.'

* * *

Kelly sat on a couch made of mud, watching Marco with a slightly raised eyebrow and an amused smile. For a little while now, Marco had been growing increasingly anxious. It had started with a slight eye twitch every now and again. As time passed he began to mutter under his breath, and pace around the room. As the sun set over the land of Mewni, Marco seemed to be transitioning from having a 'Marco Moment', to a full on 'Marco Meltdown'.

None of that was what Kelly currently found so amusing of course. Although he did look a little cute when got all frazzled. No- what Kelly was smiling at was the small scene playing out in front of her in Buff Frogs living room. A few minutes ago, Marco had decided to try and teach the Buff Kids a few karate moves. No doubt in an attempt to distract himself from his increasing anxiety.

Unfortunately, all of the Buff Kids seemed to think that his 'karate' moves were actually 'dance' moves. And they had all been quick to bust out some dance moves of their own. After his third failed attempt to explain that karate was an art of self-defense and not an 'art of the dance' as one of the Buff Kids put it, Marco finally gave up. Sensing his frustration, the Buff Kids decided to take turns showing off their own dance moves. And it didn't take long for them to convince Marco to join them in giving every new dance move a try.

Kelly giggled softly as she watched Marco do the 'Hop Dance' with Alexi, followed by 'the Rubber Chicken Dance' with Dimitri and the 'Bouncy Ballet' with Anya. The natural grace and poise in Marco's movements was actually quite impressive. Especially for someone who was known to be pretty clumsy from time to time. But that didn't stop Kelly from giving an occasional snicker as she watched Marco struggle to keep up with the dancing Buff Kids.

Eventually, Marco noticed the near constant string of giggles coming from Kelly and shot her a look. "Hey- If you're not too busy amusing yourself, maybe you could come over here and show off some of _your_ dance moves." he said, with his arms crossed over his chest.

Kelly gave a lazy shrug. "Eh- I'm good. Besides... It's more fun watching you flail around like that." she said, with a smirk.

Marco rolled his eyes. "You are _such_ a Janna." he muttered.

Kelly gave a playful scoff. "Why, Marco Ubaldo Diaz- I'll have you know that I am a _Kelly_. Through and through." she said, adjusting her glasses as she spoke. "Besides- I'm still kinda tired from our little game of extreme hop-scotch."

Marco frowned. "...I still can't believe you tried to set up a ring of fire in the living room..." he muttered.

"That's what makes it _extreme_!" exclaimed both Kelly and the Buff Kids, in perfect unison.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Do I need to remind you about the fireworks incident? Or the 'juggling' incident? I still don't know how you managed to set fire to a house made mostly of wet mud..." he muttered.

"Those were all Nadia's fault! She's totally crazy!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids.

Another one of the Buff Kids scoffed and shook its head. "That may be true, foolish sibling- but I hardly think my theatrical megalomania serves as proof of a misdeed in and of itself." it said.

Another one of the Buff Kids rolled its eyes. "You're wearing a shirt that says 'I Light Fires' right now!" it exclaimed.

"SILENCE! THIS PROVES NOTHING!"

As Kelly helped Marco to break up yet another argument between the young siblings, a loud hissing sound filled the air. It took a moment for Marco to realize what was making the sound. When he finally did, he let out a high pitched yelp and raced toward the kitchen.

"The _stew_!" he yelped, as he slid across the muddy floor. He was barely able to stop himself from crashing into the kitchen table, before spinning around to face the stove. The stove was a cast iron behemoth that Buff Frog had purchased some time ago. It wasn't quite what Marco was used to- but he dealt with it pretty well. Better than Buff Frog or Kelly, at least. Both of them had managed to fill the kitchen with fire and smoke on more than one occasion. One time, Buff Frog had even managed to make the stove erupt in a flurry of ice. Marco still wasn't quite sure how he had managed that. The only explanation that Buff Frog could offer was that he had been trying to make ice-cream.

Marco drew a sharp breath as he quickly slid his oven mitts on. There was a large pot sitting on the stove, its contents slowly bubbling up from under the lid and pouring down its side. Marco bit his lip as he slowly picked up the lid, and a burst of steam rose up from inside the pot. Staring down at the pots bubbling contents, Marco quickly retrieved a large metal spoon and began to gently stir it.

Meanwhile, Kelly's attempts to break up the Buff Kids argument seemed to have turned into a playful wrestling match- with almost all of the Buff Kids teaming up to crawl all over Kelly and tickle her. Kelly giggled as she quickly collapsed backwards into the mud. As the Buff Kids cheered in victory, Kelly wrapped as many of them as she could in her arms and gave them a squeeze. "You guys haven't won yet!" she exclaimed, as the Buff Kids gave a series of playful giggles and croaks.

As she played around with the Buff Kids, Kelly noticed one of them sitting beside the couch on its own. The lone Buff Kid was wearing an eyepatch, and sitting with its long legs crossed as it quietly stared down at the ground. Kelly frowned a little. She was just to open her mouth and say something when another Buff Kid suddenly hopped on top of Kelly's head.

"Ah-hah! I am now the ruler of Mount Shrubbery!" exclaimed the Buff Kid.

"Depose the ruler!" exclaimed another Buff Kid, who was quickly joined by a chorus of croaks. Before Kelly could so much as flinch, the Buff Kids that she had wrapped in her arms suddenly slid free and bounced up onto her head all at once. As the Buff Kids began to tussle amongst themselves on Kelly's head, many of them quickly found themselves tangled in her hair.

In the kitchen, Marco took a moment to give the stew a quick taste and give a small nod.

"Hey, everyone! Dinner's ready!" he announced, as he ducked down and extinguished the fire inside the stove.

The Buff Kids whooped, cheered and croaked as they immediately forgot what they were doing, and happily hopped over to the kitchen table. As Marco began to set out the bowls and spoons for everyone, Kelly slowly picked herself up and quietly shook the mud out of her hair.

"Wow, those kids could break the Mewni-wide record for 'Most Hyperactive'. Twitchy McSpasm better watch his back..." she muttered. As the Buff Kids bounced up to their seats around the table, Kelly's gaze slowly drifted back toward the couch. Sure enough, the Buff Kid with the eyepatch was still sitting beside the couch. It hadn't so much as moved a muscle.

Kelly approached the lone Buff Kid with a look of concern etched on her face. It wasn't that unusual to find a few Buff Kids breaking away from the group. At least not anymore. By now, the Buff Kids had each developed their own strong sense of individuality. And although they still preferred to hang out together as a group, that didn't stop them from going off to do their own thing every now and again.

Dimitri, for instance, had been known to make his way to a nearby comedy club called 'Croakers' whenever they held an open mic night. Sergei would disappear every now and again to perform what he called 'meditation rituals', which mostly involved dressing up in flowers and playing a bongo drum. Leo and Mikhail, the attached twins, would often stay out late playing something called 'Sludge Ball' with a few local young monsters. They were occasionally joined by Boris and Anya.

Kelly bit her lower lip as she crouched down in front of the lone Buff Kid. This was different. She could tell right away that this wasn't a case of a Buff Kid simply needing some 'alone' time. Something was clearly on it's mind. Every now and again, its features would tremble ever so slightly. Then, it would let out a quiet sigh and its tiny head-flippers would slowly droop.

Kelly softly cleared her throat, hoping to get the Buff Kids attention. When that failed, Kelly breathed a soft sigh.

"Hey-..." she began, before suddenly realizing that she didn't know the Buff Kids name. It had always been difficult to tell the Buff Kids apart. Even when they had started wearing their own accessories and dressing in tattered clothes, most of them still looked alike. Kelly paused for a moment to try and think. Suddenly, she remembered something that Marco had said several hours before.

 _"Keep an eye on Anastasia for me, will you? I think there's something bothering her... She's the slightly smaller one with the eyepatch. The quiet one."_

Kelly frowned again and internally berated herself for letting what Marco had said slip her mind. Both she and Marco had been completely distracted by the twelve other loud, energetic Buff Kids all day. Kelly sighed and slowly shook her head. There was no use beating herself up about it. There would be time for that later. For now, she needed to help the troubled little Buff Kid.

"Anastasia?" she muttered. "Hey- Can you hear me down there? It's your Aunt Shrubbery, sweetheart."

Anastasia blinked slowly and flinched when she suddenly realized that she was being spoken too. With a slight tremble, Anastasia slowly craned her head upward to meet Kelly's concerned gaze. Anastasia's one exposed eye was filled with a mixture of fear and worry.

"...H-... Hello... Aunty..." she muttered, her voice almost inaudibly quiet. "...I-... I'm sorry... I was... Daydreaming again..."

Kelly felt her heart swell at the image of the lightly trembling Buff Kid struggling to speak. She had to resist the urge to scoop up the little creature right then and pull her into a long, warm hug.

"Sweetheart... You-... Well... You've seemed kinda distracted today... Is there something bothering you?" asked Kelly. "You know you can tell your Aunt Shrubbery _anything_... Right?"

Anastasia slowly opened her mouth to say something, only to suddenly let out a high pitched gasp and shrink back. Kelly blinked, as she turned to find Marco standing beside her. "Hey, dinner's all... Ready..." he said, trailing off mid-sentence as he suddenly realized that he had interrupted something.

Kelly shot Marco a frustrated frown, before turning her attention back to Anastasia. "Hey, now... It's okay. It's just 'Karate Uncle'. You know how he is- Always bounding in head first without ever stopping to read the atmosphere." she said, in a soft, gentle tone.

Marco rolled his eyes a little and bit back the urge to mutter something sarcastic in response. Quietly clearing his throat, Marco slowly knelt down next to Kelly and offered the young Buff Kid in front of him a friendly smile. "...Anastasia..." he muttered. "...I know there's been something bothering you... Your siblings have noticed too. Katrina has been really worried about you."

Anastasia trembled a little but kept her gaze trained downward as Marco spoke.

"Anastasia... You know that you have a lot of people who really love you... And _care_ about you... Right?" asked Marco, his tone quiet and delicate. "There's your dad... All your siblings... And of course, me and Kelly. If there's something bothering you... You should share it with us. So that we can try to help."

Anastasia remained quiet, but it seemed that his words did manage to have some affect. At the very least, she seemed to have stopped trembling.

After pausing for a moment to let his words sink in, Marco continued. "...I know it can be hard. But you know... You don't need to shoulder everything on your own. You have people around you... People who'll help shoulder anything that starts weighing you down." he said. "You've just... You've just gotta trust them to help you. And the first step in doing that is telling one of 'em what it is that's bothering you. And look! Me and your Shrubbery Aunt happen to be right here!" he continued, his tone shifting into something more jovial, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Anastasia paused for a moment, and then slowly rose her head to meet Marco's gaze. Shifting her gaze from Marco's face to Kelly's, Anastasia gave another slight tremble as she took a deep breath.

"...Karate Uncle... I-... I forget..." she muttered, her voice still as quiet as ever. "...Are you-... Are you a 'Mewman'? Or-... Or something else?"

Her question caused both Marco and Kelly to freeze for a moment, before exchanging concerned looks.

"...Well, I'm actually a 'human'." said Marco. "That's a species that looks a lot like Mewmans on a surface level, but... We're actually from completely different dimensions."

Anastasia looked down for a moment. "...Are you sure?" she quietly muttered.

Marco nodded. "Yeah. You actually visited my dimension several months ago... Remember? You met some of my family?" he asked.

Anastasia frowned a little, and then slowly nodded. "...Yeah. I remember. ...So-... Those... Were all ' _hu-_ mans'?" she asked.

Marco nodded again. "That's right." he said.

Anastasia slowly rubbed her little hands together and nodded. "...I see..." she muttered. After drifting off into her own thoughts for a moment, the quiet Buff Kid suddenly snapped her attention back to Marco and Kelly. Anastasia opened and closed her mouth a few times as if she were just about to say something and then suddenly thought better of it. Eventually, she breathed a slow sigh.

"...If-... If I tell you... You gotta promise me something..." muttered Anastasia. "...You gotta promise me that you won't tell Papa."

Marco and Kelly shared another concerned glance.

"...I dunno if we can promise that..." muttered Marco.

Anastasia flinched a little, and then slowly shook her head. "...Then I won't tell you. Or anybody else. _Ever_." she muttered.

Marco opened his mouth to say something, only to be stopped when Kelly suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder. Kelly gave Marco a look that told him to trust her. Turning her gaze over to Anastasia, Kelly quietly cleared her throat.

"...I tell you what, Anastasia... If you tell us what's going on... Then we'll promise not to tell Buff Frog unless we think its absolutely necessary. How about that?" asked Kelly.

Once again, Anastasia seemed to lose herself in thought. Eventually, she gave the tiniest of nods- before she slowly reached her hands up to her face and removed her eyepatch.

Marco grit his teeth, and Kelly gave a quiet gasp.

The eye that Anastasia had kept hidden underneath her eyepatch was swollen shut, with a long cut running across her eyelid. The bruise was around her eye was a dark purple, and it looked incredibly painful. Seeing the injury on the little Buff Kids eye sent a wave of protective instincts rushing through Marco and Kelly's veins in an instant.

"...What... What happened?" whispered Kelly.

Anastasia went quiet for a moment, as she slowly put her eyepatch back into place. "...Well..." she began, before feeling her voice hitch in her throat. Taking a deep breath, Anastasia did her best to push herself through the sudden burst of emotions that came flooding back to her as she recalled the incident.

"...A couple of weeks ago... I-... I took up a job as a newspaper girl... To try and help out Papa a little bit..." said Anastasia, her voice trembling a little as she spoke. "...All I had to do was hop around the swamp and deliver some papers to a couple of the neighbors. I-... I actually really liked that job... Because... Because it made me feel like I was doing something... Good. Everyone else... They've got a bunch of stuff that they're good at... But I-... I don't..."

The little Buff Kids head-flippers drooped down on the sides of her head as she spoke, her voice filled with emotion. "...But-... But doin' that little job... Made me think that maybe... Maybe I could do somethin' as well... Even if it's not something as cool as becoming 'Monster President' like Katrina wants to..." she continued. "For the first time... I began to think that maybe... I'd be able to find something... Something like what all my brothers and sisters have... A vision of the future... Even if it's just somethin' small..."

Anastasia let out a small sniffle and quickly rubbed at her 'good' eye with her hand before continuing. "...So... Anyway..." she muttered, doing her very best to hold herself together. In one quick movement, Kelly suddenly plucked the little Buff Kid up from the floor and set her down on her lap. Immediately, Anastasia felt a burst of warmth as Kelly held her close.

Taking a shaky breath, Anastasia took a moment to enjoy the incredible warmth emanating from Kelly's bright purple, Anastasia took another breath. This one much steadier than the first.

"...I was... I was going down my usual route just this morning..." said Anastasia, her voice suddenly filled with a newfound resolve. "When... I heard a bunch of strangers approach. So, I did what I always do- and hid behind a big tree. Just in case it was a slimy snake or somethin'..."

"But then... I heard voices. Loud, happy voices. They were all laughin' and stuff. So... I took a peek... And-... Well... They were Mewmans. Real big ones. Dressed in fancy, shiny clothes. They had swords and helmets and stuff... Just like they do in Papa's board games, and in the storybooks..." said Anastasia. "Papa had always told me to avoid Mewman's like those... But-... Well... We're friends with Princess Butterfly, right? And she's... Well- she's the _princess_. If she's not bad, then... Then those guys couldn't be either. At least... That's what I thought."

Marco slowly felt his hands ball into fists, and Kelly slowly tightened her hold on Anastasia. Both of them already knew what was coming. They felt it right away. Still, they let Anastasia continue to speak.

"...I-... I've always been... Really shy... Some of my siblings tease me about it sometimes..." muttered Anastasia. "...So-... So I thought I'd try... And prove them wrong. Prove that-... Prove that I'm not just the 'quiet one'. Prove that I can make friends too- just like Katrina and Leo... But-..."

Anastasia began to tremble again. Much harder than before. As tears began to well up in her eyes, Kelly quietly stroked the little Buff Kid on the back and whispered that everything would be okay. After taking a moment to collect herself as best she could, Anastasia continued.

"...They started yelling." she muttered. "They were all... They were all really... Disgusted... And-... And they screamed that at me a whole lot. H-how... How I was a gross... Wretched... Monster... Then-... Then, one of them stood up in front of them... He was laughing really hard... Then-... He just stopped. And he gave me this look... It was the scariest look I've ever seen... It was just... It was full of... Hate... He-... The man... He hated me... More than I've ever seen anyone hate anything."

She shuddered again, and a few tears began to roll down her cheeks as she recalled the man's face.

"Then... He said that I was-... I was disgusting... That I was like a disease on the land of Mewni..." she continued. "I-... I tried to speak up- and... And... That was when he picked up a rock and... Threw it. It-... It hit me in the eye... And... I started to cry. The man... He walked up to me... Laughing again... And he pulled out this big sword... Saying that... He was gonna... Kill me."

By now, both Marco and Kellys expressions were neutral as they tried desperately not to let Anastasia see the white-hot rage bubbling inside them. But even with all the efforts they made to keep their composure, nothing could hide the fire burning in their eyes.

"Then- there was a loud noise nearby. All of the Mewmans suddenly froze- and I... I just turned around and ran. The Mewmans yelled some other stuff at me, but... I... I didn't really hear it." said Anastasia. "...I just... I ran. Everyone else was asleep in our room... So I-... I just buried my face into my pillow and cried. For-... For hours..."

There was a long, pregnant pause between the three of them as Marco and Kelly seemed to process everything they had just heard. Eventually, the silence was broken by Anastasia's quiet voice.

"Eventually... I-... I took a spare eyepatch outta Boris' big bag of costumes to hide my eye... Because... I didn't want anyone to know." she said. "And... And I still don't."

Kelly frowned. "...Why?" she muttered.

"...Because. If-... If you tell Papa... Or my siblings... I just know... That they'll do something... Crazy. And-... And those guys... They were... They were Royal Knights. From Butterfly Castle itself. If-... If they try and take them on or somethin'... They'll get hurt. Or worse. Plus... It'd ruin Papa's job as the official 'Monster Expert'." said Anastasia. "Working with the princess... And helping her with all of that complicated stuff about Monsters and Mewmans... It means everything to him. And-... And if he does something... Because of me... Then-... It could ruin _everything_."

Another moment of silence passed, as both Kelly and Marco momentarily lost themselves in thought. Marco was the one to break the silence this time, doing his best to keep his tone as neutral as possible as he spoke.

"...They were... Royal knights?" he muttered, not doing a particularly good job of keeping his tone free of emotion.

Anastasia gave a slow nod. "...Uh-huh... They were dressed in fancy, shiny armor... And-... And they bragged about being the most powerful warriors in Butterfly Castle... 'Royal Knights'..." she muttered. "...Th-... The one that threw the rock, and-... And tried to... Kill me... He-... His armor was _golden_... And-... And he said-... That he was a legendary hero of Mewni. That-... That his sword had once slain a magic dragon... And-... And he said a bunch more stuff as well... I think-... I think he really liked hearing himself talk."

Kelly suddenly froze. Her eyes widened, as she looked down at Anastasia. "...What-... What did this Knight look like? Do you remember, sweetheart?" she asked, doing her best to keep her voice as soft and gentle as it was before.

Anastasia shuddered for a moment and then gave a small nod. "...Yes. His armor... Was all gold... And he had a long silver beard with jewelry in it..." she muttered.

Kelly's face quickly formed into a deep frown. Marco shot her a curious look and Kelly quietly mouthed his the words 'I'll tell you later'.

All of a sudden, Kelly stood herself up- carefully holding Anastasia in her arms as she did so. Anastasia gave a small croak in surprise at the sudden movement.

"...Alright. Thank you for telling us that, Anastasia." said Kelly. "And listen... I promise you- everything is going to be fine. Your honorary Aunt and Uncle are gonna make sure of that."

"...Are you... Are you gonna tell Papa?" muttered Anastasia, her one uncovered eye filled with worry.

Kelly smiled. "Don't you worry. Like I said... We won't tell him unless it's absolutely necessary. And I meant that." she said, before shooting Marco a quick glance.

Marco thought for a moment and then gave Anastasia a reassuring nod. "...Yeah. Like Kelly said. Not unless it's absolutely necessary. Now-... How about you come take a seat and have some dinner? There should still be some left over... I'll quickly heat it up if I have top." he said. "And if you and your siblings all finish it, how about I treat you all to some special Earth style dessert."

Anastasia suddenly perked up in Kelly's arms. "Earth dessert? Really?" she exclaimed. "That stuff's always amazing!"

Marco smiled. "Yeah. Really." he said.

As Kelly brought Anastasia over to the table with her siblings, the little Buff Kid did her best to wipe away any tears left on her face with Kelly's sweater. After she had been placed in her seat, Marco was quick to reheat a portion of the stew for her, while the other Buff Kids played and argued amongst themselves. Some of them were hopping on their chairs, while others were hopping on the table.

Once Anastasia was finished with her meal, Marco retrieved his interdimensional scissors and disappeared into a portal. When he came back, he was holding an armful of over a dozen ice-cream sandwiches. All of the Buff Kids- Anastasia included- croaked with delight as they ate their Earth desserts.

After dessert, Marco and Kelly spent the next hour slowly corralling the Buff Kids into their beds. Eventually, they relented when Marco offered to read them a story. After reading a particularly long story from an old looking storybook, the Buff Kids slowly began to fall asleep- one by one.

Kelly made sure to quietly tuck the sheets over each one of the Buff Kids as Marco read from the book, and gave Anastasia's sleeping form a gentle caress. Once they were sure that they were asleep, Marco and Kelly left the Buff Kids bedroom and made their way back to the living room.

Without saying a word to each other, they exchanged glances, and then shared a nod. Buff Frog was still asleep, and it didn't look like he was going to wake up until morning. And the Buff Kids were all asleep.

But their day wasn't finished just yet. They still had one last thing to take care of.

They were going to go pay the Royal Knights a visit.

* * *

Higgs breathed a long, heavy sigh. For as long as she could remember, she had dreamed of one day becoming one of the legendary knights of Mewni. For someone born in the lowest slums of the kingdom, that had always seemed like a near-impossible dream. But a few years ago, she was given a chance. It had taken a lot of begging- and even some downright harassment. But after proving time and time again that she was completely devoted to her dream, she was finally christened a squire by none other than the legendary Sir Stabby.

Sir Stabby was in the top ten of the Royal Knights ranking boards, and she couldn't be more proud to be serving under a man of such incredible esteem. Unfortunately, being a squire had more than a few drawbacks. For one thing, it was a well-known custom among the knights to treat their squires as terribly as possible at all times. It was supposedly meant to help 'toughen up' the squires, and ready them for their duties as a knight.

Higgs couldn't help but think that the 'toughening them up' idea was just an excuse made up by some particularly sadistic knight a few hundred years ago. Luckily, Sir Stabby wasn't anywhere near as mean as some of the knights she had heard stories about. The worst he ever did was take her for granted- and occasionally make her carry him home when he had one too many at the local tavern.

From what she had heard, she was actually pretty lucky compared to some of the Squires of the past. But that didn't stop her from complaining whenever she got a moment to herself.

Higgs breathed a long, heavy sigh as she leaned against the wall behind her. For the past several hours, she had been standing by the entrance to the Royal Knights Headquarters. An enormous, beautiful building attached directly to Butterfly Castle. It was made out of a hard white stone and decorated with large pieces of armor all over the outside. Apparently, it had become something of a Mewman tradition for a retiring knight to attach a piece of their armor to the building. So that even after they left the knighthood, some part of them would always be there to help protect the heart of Mewni's defense force.

It was a sweet tradition. Unfortunately, the Knights also had a tradition of sending squires out to stand guard at the entrance of the building for often unreasonable amounts of time. Supposedly, this was to help prepare the young squires for all the standing around and guarding stuff that came with being a knight. This was one of the few practices that Higgs actually could believe had some actual merit. But that didn't make it any less annoying.

"...Ugh... The night shift is such a _drag_..." she muttered, as a cold breeze swept across her face.

Time passed by very slowly as she stood at her post by the entrance to the headquarters of the Royal Knights. Eventually, she found herself staring up into the night sky, watching in silence as the stars twinkled brilliantly above. Higgs drew a long, deep breath as another cool breeze swept across her face.

"...Well... I guess... On the bright side... I finally get a little bit of peace and quiet..." she muttered.

As if on cue, her moment of silence was suddenly interrupted by a loud ripping sound. In an instant, Higgs snapped to attention as a big glowing portal suddenly opened up on the pathway in front of her. Higgs grit her teeth and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as she watched two figures emerge from the portal.

One of them, she recognized. Marco Diaz, the so-called 'Squire' of the princess. He looked a little taller than she remembered, but otherwise, he looked exactly the same. He was even wearing the same stupid blue cape that he had been wearing during their encounter at Quest Buy. As he stepped out of the portal, his cape fluttered in the wind as if for dramatic effect.

Higgs did not recognize the girl standing next to him. Her was was a greenish blue color, and it was also puffy and enormous. It was tied into a big ponytail, but that didn't stop it from almost touching the ground. The girl was wearing a large pair of glasses, that she constantly had to slide back up her face because she had no nose for them to rest upon. She was also wearing a sparkling purple sweater with the words 'Ultimate Warrior' emblazoned across the chest in big white letters, along with a pair of long black pants and purple shoes.

Higgs slowly raised an eyebrow, as she watched Marco close the portal behind them and start walking towards her.

"Well, well... If it isn't the princesses little _servant_. What're you doing here?" asked Higgs, as she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "Are you here on an errand or something? Or are you just here to humiliate yourself all over again?"

Marco stared at her for a moment. "...Uh-... Do I know you?" he muttered.

Higgs twitched a little as she recognized the genuine confusion in his voice. "...No." she growled. "But I know _you_. You're the deluded moron that's always following the princess around and acting like that somehow makes you a squire. When it _doesn't_. Because being a squire actually requires a lot of hard word and-"

Marco sighed and rolled his eyes. "Wait- never mind." he said, interrupting her mid-sentence. "I remember you now. We met at Quest Buy during that whole 'Squire Blowout Sale' thing..." he continued, frowning a little at the memory. "Look- I don't have time to argue with you. Kelly and I have some business with the Royal Knights. So- if you'll excuse us..."

Marco moved to walk past her, only to have Higgs quickly block his path. "No way." she growled. "The Royal Knights are having a meeting right now, and it's _my_ job to make sure they're not interrupted."

Marco breathed a heavy sigh. "Look... This is important, okay? Just let us through and-... I dunno... I'll owe you or something..." he muttered.

Higgs rolled her eyes and huffed. "Oh, please. There's nothing I could ever want from some pathetic joke who has no idea what it means to be a real Squire." she growled. "I don't want anything from you, or your new girlfriend- except for you both to leave."

Marco and Kelly blinked in unison, glanced at each other and then blinked again.

"We're not like that." said Marco.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah- Marco here is head over heels for a different girl. It's a whole thing." she said. Marco flashed her an annoyed look, and Kelly responded with a small, playful smirk.

Higgs stared at Marco for a moment and then gave a light chuckle. That chuckle quickly turned into a bout of uproarious laughter. "Hahaha! Oh, man! You're in love with the _Princess_ , aren't you!? Oh- That's priceless!" she exclaimed. "Oh, wow- That's... That's just so pathetic that I-... Aw, man- I almost feel _sorry_ for you! Hahahaha!"

Higgs continued to laugh for a solid few minutes. Her laughter died down slowly, but when it finally did- she found herself standing all by herself again. Higgs blinked a few times, as she suddenly realized that she had just let them both slip past her. All of a sudden, all of the color drained from her face as she felt her heart sink into the pit of her chest.

"...Damn it." she muttered.

Higgs had spent her entire career as a Squire doing her best to never make a mistake. Because she knew that the minute she did... One of the knights would use it as an excuse to take everything away from her. And... She had just made a mistake.

Higgs grit her teeth and took off down the hall to follow them. Hoping against hope that she'd find them before they managed to interrupt the Royal Knights meeting. But as she ran, she couldn't ignore a familiar sinking feeling in her chest... The feeling that everything was about to go very wrong.

* * *

"How about, 'Let's party all _Knight_ long!'?" asked Kelly, as she and Marco raced down the long halls of the Royal Knights Headquarters.

"...I dunno... It doesn't really make a lotta sense..." muttered Marco.

"It doesn't have to make sense! It's a punny one-liner! They're supposed to not make any sense!" exclaimed Kelly.

"I feel like the best one-liners make at least a little bit of sense." said Marco. "Besides- We're not gonna need any one-liners because I don't plan on making this turn into some kinda full-scale brawl. We're just gonna find the knights who hurt Anastasia... And get them to apologize."

"And when he refuses?" asked Kelly.

"Well, then you can bust out the one-liners." said Marco.

"Sounds good. Now! How about 'Welcome to the _Knight_ shift! It's a- _joust_ time you face your _pun_ -ishment!" exclaimed Kelly.

Marco groaned a little. "Oh, _wow_. You've been hanging around Dimitri too much." he muttered.

Kelly scoffed. "I'll have you know that I've been studying the art of pun-fu for much longer than little Dimitri has. Heck, he even comes to me for pointers every now and again! We're comedy comrades!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks for the warning..." Marco muttered, with a small grin.

Eventually, when it looked like they weren't being chased by Higgs or any other guards, Marco and Kelly slowed down to walk. "Where do you think the Royal Gaurds'll be having their meeting?" muttered Marco, as he walked by a wall of enormous tapestries depicting the knights of Mewni's past.

Kelly shrugged. "I figure we just keep an eye out for some big, fancy looking door. The fancier the door, the more important the room'll be. It's just one those Multiversal truths, y'know?"

"...Not really, but I'll take your word for it." said Marco.

Marco and Kelly kept walking for a while, their footsteps echoing throughout the halls as they walked by several enormous displays featuring different weaponry that had been used by the Royal Knights throughout history. Most of it was hanging on the walls, while the bigger weapons sat inside large glass cases.

As they passed by another row of tapestries, Marco suddenly froze. One of the tapestries was bigger than all the rest. So big, in fact, that it seemed to spread across most of the wall. The enormous tapestry depicted a field of slaughtered monsters, with none other than Mina Loveberry standing in the middle of the carnage. She was either screaming or laughing- it was hard to tell.

"Hey! Marco! I think I found our big, fancy door!" exclaimed Kelly.

Marco blinked, as he turned to find Kelly standing in front of a large silver door. The door had tiny golden rivets sticking out across the door in long lines from one corner to the other, in the shape of an 'X'. In the space above where the lines of the 'X' met, there was a golden knights helmet embedding in the door. Underneath the helmet was a plaque that read 'Royal Knights Meeting Area'. Underneath the plaque was a small yellow sticky note that read 'No Squires allowed!'. It appeared to have been hastily scrawled in red pen, with several exclamation marks drawn as swords- along with a few skull and crossbones.

Marco took a deep breath and used his cape to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He had retrieved the old 'squire cape' from it's hiding place under his bed, hoping that the cape would make the knights recognize that he was the princesses squire.

He had retrieved his old 'squire cape' from it's hiding place under his bed for one reason. He had hoped that it would help the knights recognize him as the princesses squire, and thus make things run a little smoother than they would if they thought that he was just some random Mewman from off the street. Unfortunately, after seeing Higg's reaction at the entrance, he was no longer quite so sure that the cape would achieve its desired effect.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh. '...Maybe I should've tried to get Star...' he thought, before quickly shaking his head. 'No... Kelly and I can do this. Besides... She's-... She's probably busy. Plus... She'd probably wind up getting in big trouble with her Mom if she suddenly started clashing with the Royal Knights... Even if some of them probably deserve it...'

Marco took a deep breath. 'Alright. We're just gonna go in there... And see if we can get them to apologize. If they refuse... Well- maybe then we can get Star involved. If she hears about what happened... Well, they'll definitely be made to regret their actions. I'm sure of that, at least.'

"Okay..." muttered Marco, before turning to Kelly. "Are you ready?"

Kelly nodded. "I'm ready- _Kelly_." she exclaimed, with a spark of fierce determination in her eyes.

Marco rolled his eyes a little and smiled. "Good." he muttered.

The room itself was enormous and dimly lit. There were a few torches hanging from the walls, giving the room a flickering orange glow. In the middle of the room sat a large diamond-shaped table, where all the knights were sitting dressed in bulky, intimidating armor.

In the middle of the room, all of the knights were sitting at a large diamond-shaped table. All of the knights were dressed in heavy armor, with only a few of them sitting with their helmets in their laps. The ceiling directly above the table appeared to have been turned into a mural of some kind. Depicting enormous, multi-colored butterflies fluttering around in some kind of majestic dance. It was quite impressive, even when it was barely visible in the weak orange glow.

For a little while, Marco and Kelly simply stood at the doorway in awkward silence when all of the knights stared at them. Finally, Marco weakly cleared his throat.

"...Ahem. My name is Marco Ubaldo Diaz. And I have some business with at least _one_ of you Royal Knights." he said, as he slowly scanned the many different knights that were sitting at the table. Almost every knight was wearing the same kind of grey plated armor. There were only three knights wearing armor that looked different from the rest, and they were all sitting together at one end of the table.

Marco grit his teeth a little, as he recalled what Kelly had told him before they had left Buff Frogs swamp.

The Royal Knights were led by the three most powerful warriors in all of Mewni. The Knight in crimson red armor with a helmet designed to resemble the horns of a demon was known as 'Demonicus the Eerie'. It was apparently a well-known folk tale among the people of Mewni that Demonicus' armor had turned red because she bathed in the blood of her enemies. Which, of course, made absolutely no sense whatsoever. But it made her seem scary nonetheless.

The Knight dressed in light blue armor with a helmet that had what appeared to be a dark blue mohawk sticking out of it was none other than Lavabo of the Wash. Also known as Lavabo the Resilient. Apparently, Lavabo was the least popular of the three because most of his achievements involved laundry. Even his well-known tussle with one of the most dangerous creatures in the Multiverse was mostly disregarded because the creature in question was essentially an angry ball of string.

Marco gave Lavabo a small, awkward wave. To which Lavabo happily waved back, before removing his helmet just to give Marco a bright, friendly smile.

The knight sitting between Demonicus and Lavabo wore golden armor, and his crown was designed to resemble a royal crown. Both his armor and helmet were decorated with dozens of jewels that varied in size and color. He was the so-called 'leader' of the Royal Knights. The current most powerful warrior in Mewni, outside of the Royal Butterfly family.

The Golden Knight. Jerkius. The Legendary Slayer of Magic Dragons, and Hero to all of Mewni. Known also as Jerkius the Golden, Jerkius the Almighty and Jerkius the Magnificent.

Marco frowned. This was the knight that had injured Anastasia. The knight that may well have _murdered_ her that day... Marco could already feel his blood begin to boil at the thought of it. Anastasia couldn't have been too far from home when the incident happened. What if the golden knight and his little group of followers had stumbled upon Buff Frogs swamp? What would have happened then?

Marco took a deep breath. There was no way he would let that happen. No matter how intimidating it was to be stared down by a room full of Royal Knights, he absolutely had to take a stand. He and Kelly shared a quick glance, and then a nod. Marco opened his mouth to speak once more- only to be interrupted by a deep, thunderous voice.

"Who was it that was supposed to be standing guard tonight?" the voice boomed.

Every knight other than Lavabo and Demonicus shuddered at the sound of the voice, as Jerkius slammed his golden plated fist on the table. "Sir Stabby!? Was it not you who professed to me your belief that your _peasant_ Squire would be able to perform such a simple task with ease!?" he exclaimed. "Why is it then that we find ourselves interrupted by _vermin_ from outside of our Kingdom!?"

Lavabo calmly ran his fingers through his long grey beard. "Sir Jerkius... This boy standing before us is none other than the princesses personal squire. And I believe that the girl standing next to him is one of her close personal friends." he said, his voice measured and calm. "I see no problem in having them visit us- although it might have been but a smidgen more polite of them to knock first..."

Demonicus muttered something unintelligible from inside her helmet.

Lavabo nodded. "Yes, yes- I agree. It's not as if they were really interrupting anything. Didn't you just say that our little meeting was drawing to a close, Sir Jerkius?"

Jerkius made a noise that sounded like a cross between a scoff and a growl. "I care not about their supposed 'closeness' to the royal princess! What matters here is that Sir Stabby's _peasant_ girl was unable to fulfill her Squirely duties!" he boomed. "I've given warning after warning! Do not allow mere _street urchins_ to step within our sacred halls! This is yet more proof of a most foolish decision!"

Sir Stabby sat across the table from Jerkius with his helmet in his lap. As Jerkius bellowed at him, Sir Stabby kept his gaze trained on the table in front of him.

"I demand that you remove that wretched peasant girl from your Squireship immediately!" roared Jerkius. "We have no need for such uselessness!"

Lavabo looked over at Sir Stabby for a moment and then turned his attention back toward Jerkius. "Now, now... The Lady Higgs has proven herself time and time again to be one of the most dedicated Squires of this generation. There is no need to be quite so hasty." he said.

Once again, Jerkius made a noise that sounded like a cross between a scoff and a growl. "Keep your bleeding heart to yourself, Sir Lavabo. The is a matter of honor! For all of us! We do not need _peasants_ in our ranks!" he exclaimed, before turning his attention toward Marco and Kelly. "And why are those two still standing there? Why have they not been escorted from the premises by now!?"

Lavabo sighed. "...Sir Jerkius, I hesitate to repeat myself, but-"

Jerkius slammed his fist on the table, cutting Lavabo off mid-sentence. "As do I, Sir Lavabo. Yet here we are." he growled. "I do not care what relationship they have to the royal princess- neither of them are _Mewman_. That so-called squire is from another dimension. And the big-haired girl is a dirty _forest dweller_."

Marco and Kelly stiffened as Jerkius turned his attention to them. "I know very well who you two are. I suppose you're part of the reason that the Princess has become obsessed with such foolish things recently." he said. "I warned the Queen against allowing the young princess to go off galavanting with non-Mewmans... It's no wonder that the young Princess has become so thoroughly misguided."

Kelly breathed a heavy sigh. "Wow. Y'know, I'd heard some of the rumors about you..." she said as she met Jerkius' gaze with her own. "But even _I'm_ kinda surprised at how much your name really suits you."

Lavabo quietly hid his smile behind his hand. Across the table, Sir Stabby gave a loud snort as he struggled to do the same. Half of the other knights seemed quietly amused, while the other half began to shoot Kelly dirty looks and mutter angrily amongst themselves.

"Watch your tongue, _forest-dweller_." growled Jerkius. Some of the knights nodded along with him, while others took it a step further.

"Yeah! You're talkin' to a Royal Knight, you weird- uh... Whatever you are!" exclaimed one of the knights.

"Yeah! Go back to your forest! And take the dumb lookin' kid along with you!" exclaimed another.

"Non-Mewman trash!" bellowed another.

"I love your hair! And that sweater really suits you!"

The knights who had begun to taunt and jeer Kelly suddenly paused, and looked began to look around amongst themselves. "Hey? Who said that? Lady Sweetheart, was that you?" one of them yelled.

"What? I prefer to be positive! You got some kinda problem with that? 'Cuz I'll happily rip out your eyes and make you eat 'em if you like!"

"...Wha-... What's so positive about that?"

"I'm 'positive' that I'll enjoy it!"

As some of the knights began to squabble, Kelly breathed a heavy sigh. "...This, uh... This isn't going super well... Is it, Marco?" she muttered.

Marco gave her a weary shrug. "...Well, to be honest- It's going about the way I expected it to go..." he muttered. "Actually, if anything- it's going a lot smoother than I thought it might... I mean- No one's even threatened to execute us yet."

"Off with their heads!"

Marco sighed. "...Spoke too soon." he muttered.

Suddenly, Marco felt something tug at his cape. At first, he thought it was Kelly teasing him again. Marco quickly turned to face her, ready to accuse her once again of being a 'total Janna'. Only to pause when he noticed that Kelly's hands were by her sides. Blinking a few times, Marco looked back at his cape, to find it being lightly tugged by something just outside the doorway. Marco glanced over at Kelly and gestured to her to follow him as he slowly stepped out of the doorway.

Leaning with her back against the wall, with the corner of Marco's cape clutched in her hand, was Higgs.

"What in the _Underworld_ are you two _doing_!?" she hissed. "You two just gate-crashed a meeting of the Royal Knights! I could lose my Squireship for this! And you two could lose a whole lot more!"

Marco frowned and quickly tugged his cape out of her grip. "...I have business with 'Sir Jerkius'." he muttered. "He hurt a friend of mine."

Higgs blinked a few times. "Wha-what? That makes no sense! Sir Jerkius is a Royal Knight! Heck, he's the Royal General. He took over after Mina Loveberry lost her marbles... He's got better things to do than going around harassing your little friends or whatever."

"Our friend is a monster." said Kelly.

Higgs froze. Her eyes widened and seemed to twitch a little before she quickly shook it off. "Then just be glad that he didn't kill her- okay?" she said. "Now- why don't you two just scurry on outta here while everyone's having one of their dumb arguments? You've probably got a good hour or two before it starts to die down- and by then, I'm sure most of 'em will have forgotten who you are."

Marco shook his head. "No. Not gonna happen." he said.

"Will you just listen to me you moron? I am trying to help you! _You_! The person who's probably already cost me everything I've _ever_ worked for!" growled Higgs, as she grabbed him by the front of his hoodie and pulled him closer. "Do you know how much I had to work to just to _become_ a Squire? Let alone afterwards! I barely ever get to see my family, and I never get time to just hang around and goof off like you do! You've got no idea!" Higgs spoke through clenched teeth as she gripped at Marco's hoodie until her knuckles went white.

Marco frowned. "...Maybe your right, Higgs. Maybe I don't know what it's like to be a Squire like you do. But what I do know is... That I'm not gonna let that guy get away with hurting my friends. Especially if there's a chance he'll come by them again... And try to kill them... Just for being monsters." he said

Higgs breathed a long, heavy sigh. As she did, her breath seemed to tremble ever so slightly. Finally, she slowly relaxed her grip on Marco's hoodie and pulled her hands away. "...Fine. Whatever. Just know that doing this without your princess around... It's dumb. Your gonna get yourselves killed." she muttered.

Marco stared at her for a moment. "...Yeah... Maybe." he muttered. As he turned to leave, Marco suddenly paused. "...By the way... I'll make sure that you don't lose your Squireship because of us. Even if I have to call in a favor with the Queen. I promise."

With that, Marco walked back into the room. Not noticing the look of complete shock on Higgs' face.

Kelly smiled a little as she watched Marco walk back into the room filled with loud, angry voices. "...I dunno what kinda person you think he is..." said Kelly, as she turned her attention toward Higgs. "...But you're wrong. Marco works really hard... Especially for Star. And it's not just 'cuz he's in love with her. He's... Well-... He's a good guy, y'know?"

Higgs breathed another heavy, shaky sigh. "...Maybe. But frankly, I still don't really buy it." she muttered.

Kelly laughed a little and rolled her eyes. "You don't really trust people, huh? Is it because he's a so-called 'outsider'?" she asked.

Higgs shook her head. "No. I didn't even know that until just now..." she muttered.

Kelly smiled a little, as her eyes grew wistful. "...Y'know... When I was a little girl, I'd always sorta dreamed of being a Knight someday. I used to train for it and everything. I musta trained every day for years... I saved up all my money and took a stagecoach to this very place. The Royal Knights Headquarters. But... Guess what?"

Higgs flinched a little, and her gaze fell to the floor. "...Non-Mewmans aren't allowed..." she muttered.

Kelly gave a slow nod. "Yep. It, uh... It kinda broke my heart. But y'know what? Afterwards... I realized something. All the things that're supposed to come with knighthood... 'Glory'... 'Honor'... 'Adventure'... You can find those things yourself. And you don't even have to do it alone. You can bring your friends along for the journey as well." said Kelly. "...Star was one of the people who taught me that. Along with a whole bunch of others... Including Marco."

Higgs said nothing. She simply kept her eyes glued to the floor.

Kelly smiled a little. "...Good luck, Squire-girl. I hope someday... All your hard work pays off." she said. "Also-... Quit being such a jerk to Marco. Or I'll find you and personally tar and feather you. I've got a friend from another dimension who would absolutely love to help."

With a sly 'maybe I'm joking or maybe I'm not' wink, Kelly turned around and followed Marco back into the room.

The arguing among the knights got progressively louder until Jerkius suddenly stood up and slammed his fist against the table once more. The entire room was filled with a thunderous 'bang', as the table trembled under the force of his golden plated fist. In an instant, everyone was sitting in their seats again. All sitting straight and silent as Jerkius glowered over them.

"Well then... If you are all finished with your childish squabbling... How about we have ourselves a quick little _vote_..." said Jerkius. "Those of you in favor of a suitable punishment for these _trespassers_... Raise your hands. And all who are opposed... Well- I'm sure there'll be room for you to join them at the executioner's block..."

Lavabo frowned. "...Jerkius. I know very well about your... 'Feelings' towards those you see as 'outsiders'... But do you not that you are being _hasty_? I'll have you know that the boy has not only proven himself to me- but he was also instrumental in saving our royal family from an invading force. The monster known as Toffee. And need I remind you that we knights were of very little help during that little escapade." he said.

Jerkius scoffed. "You were of little help- because you were off fighting soap demons and fabric freaks in the Dimension of _W_ _ashing_..." he growled.

Marco blinked and slowly scratched his head. 'I-... I honestly don't know if that's supposed to be sarcasm, or if that's an actual _thing_...' he thought.

" _My_ team... Along with myself... Were off defending the border from those wretched _snow-trolls_." Jerkius continued. "And when I got back, what did I find? Total and utter chaos! Part of the palace had been reduced to _ashes_! And where were you, Demonicus? _Sleeping_?"

Demonicus very slowly turned to face Jerkius, and once again muttered something unintelligible.

It should not have been possible to see Jerkius shudder and sweat considering the fact that he was fully decked out in armor. But as Demonicus turned her gaze toward him, that was exactly what Kelly and Marco saw.

Jerkius nervously cleared his throat. "I- I mean... My apologies, Lady Demonicus... I-... I did not mean to pry..." he whimpered. As Demonicus turned back around in her seat, Jerkius took a moment to shudder again before quickly pulling himself back together. "The rest of you..." he muttered, doing his best to regain the steam that he had so abruptly lost. "What of the rest of you? Beaten by an army of rats and a levitation spell? And what was the pathetic excuse given? That you had been awake for several days partying with the King? What utter _foolishness_." he growled. "The name of the Royal Knights has already been irrevocably scarred. I will not have anyone else add to that humiliation. Especially not some filthy non-Mewmans."

Lavabo breathed a heavy sigh and slowly shook his head. "...Jerkius..." he muttered, his tone drifting somewhere between wistful and sad.

"Hey!"

All of the knights, including Jerkius, Demonicus and Lavabo suddenly turned their attention back to the doorway. Kelly blinked in surprise as she watched Marco march forward, his cape fluttering behind him as he approached the table.

"Look- First of all, I didn't do _anything_ to help with Toffee. Okay?" he growled. "That was all Star. And _Star_ happens to _love_ non-Mewmans. She's dating one, as a matter of fact. Tom Lucitor, the Prince of the Demons. In case you didn't already know."

Jerkius huffed and growled. "Please. Many princesses flirt with such foolishness at some stage or another. It will _pass_." he said.

Marco frowned. "No. No it won't. Star is going to change this whole Kingdom. And I know she can do it, too. Because she's already changed _me_ \- and one my close friends. Who happens to be a _monster_ , by the way."

At this several knights seemed to gasp, and quickly began to murmur amongst themselves.

Jerkius gave a long, dry laugh. Completely hollow of any emotion, sarcastic or otherwise. "Oh, I see. So you're a monster-hugger, is that it? So I suppose the Princesses truly has been _tainted_ by an outsider." he growled.

Marco rolled his eyes. "Oh, give me a break..." he muttered. "Star wants to make Mewni a better place because ultimately that's who she _is_. Even if she had never met me- she would have figured out for herself that the way Mewmans treat monsters is wrong. I _know_ it. Just like I know that she's going to be the one who changes everything in Mewni for the better. Because she's the most powerful person I'll ever know- in more ways than one."

"Which brings me to why I'm here." Marco continued. "You and a few of your thugs hurt someone I care about recently." he said, before glancing over at Kelly. As he did, he also noticed Higgs peeking out from the doorway. "Someone _we_ care about." he added, before turning his attention back to Jerkius. "And not just Kelly and I- but Star as well. And the only reason I didn't bring her along with us is because she'd probably tear you all apart. And even I can't be sure if I mean that _literally_ or _figuratively_."

Once again, Jerkius let out a scoff and growl. It was beginning to seem like it was his signature noise or something.

"If the princess has a problem with the actions of me _or_ my personal band of knights... Then she can go tell the Queen. Who may, if she so chooses... Relate it to me. Of course- she would not do that. And do you know why? Because the Queen happens to be quite intelligent. And she knows full well that she cannot afford to lose favor with me. She and this entire kingdom... _Need_ me." said Jerkius, his voice both loud and self-assured.

Marco slowly shook his head. "Star doesn't need you. And neither does the Queen. Not someone like _you_. Someone that treats other creatures like _trash_." he said. "No kingdom... No _dimension_... Needs someone like _you_."

The room went completely silent and the air crackled with tension as Jerkius and Marco stared each other down.

Eventually, Jerkius broke the silence. "I tell you what, my brave little outsider... How about we make a little deal. Let's have ourselves a good old-fashioned gladiatorial match. You and I. If I win... Well, then- You and the forest-dweller will forfeit your lives. And if you win... I'll happily get on my knees and beg forgiveness from any vile creature of your choice." he said. "And- before you say anything... You have no choice in the matter. Knights!"

All of a sudden, a group of knights broke away from the diamond-shaped table and surrounded both Marco and Kelly.

"Escort the boy to the changing stations! He shall be allowed to pick his very own suit of armor to wear! A gift from yours truly. Escort the forest-dweller to a VIP spot in the Royal Knights Gladiatorial Arena. We are going to be holding an emergency show- and I want her sitting in the best seats in the house." exclaimed Jerkius. As Marco and Kelly were suddenly dragged away in opposite directions by groups of heavily armored knights, Jerkius chuckled to himself. "Yes... This should be a very entertaining show indeed. Don't you agree... _Lavabo_?"

Jerkius shot Lavabo a sadistic grin. Fully expecting to find Sir Lavabo looking completely panicked when he turned to face him. Instead, Lavabo flashed him a smile as he gently stroked his long grey beard.

"Yes. I expect it will." said Lavabo, quietly enjoying the frustrated sound that Jerkius made as he huffed and left the table.

As Marco and Kelly were escorted away, Higgs peeked out from behind a nearby statue and frowned.

"...Dammnit. I _told_ them this would happen..." she muttered. "...Someone's gotta tell the Princess..."

Higgs sighed.

"...And I guess that someone's gotta be _me_."

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

( **AN** : I can hear you now. "Whaaat? Your updating _twice_ on the same _day_? Are you _deranged_?" Well, the answer is apparently yes.

After giving it some thought, I decided to post this as its own chapter and then take a break for a little while. I hope you guys don't mind too much... And I apologize for any confusion that this will no doubt cause.)

 **PS** : As always, a special shoutout to **robertkellett** for all of his help thus far.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Marco vs Jerkius

Marco breathed a heavy sigh as a stream of water washed over his weary frame. The water was warm and refreshing. For some reason, it seemed to remind him of a simpler time. A time when moments of relaxation weren't so few and far between. A time when the biggest problems he faced involved studying for a test or working up the courage to speak to Jackie Lynn Thomas. Or fighting off a roving gang of monsters.

It wasn't that he missed those times, necessarily. Those days had been difficult and challenging in their own way. He only wished that those happy days had lasted a little longer than they had. That he could have spent just a little more time hanging out with Star... Enjoying every new day together, and making it as fun as it could be.

When was it exactly that things began to change?

Was it the night that he was kidnapped by Toffee?

Or the night that Star lost her Spellbook?

Marco turned his gaze downward. He could see his reflection in the water pooling around his feet. He looked older than he thought he did. His eyes were weary, and his hair had grown out a little more than he usually let it. He had a few more hairs on his chest now... Along with a few scraggly hairs poking out around his chin.

Marco flinched a little as he rubbed at his burgeoning facial hair. His little experience with growing facial hair in the past had effectively scarred him for life. All he had wanted to do was groom his peach fuzz into something at least a little impressive so that he could catch the eye of Jackie Lynn Thomas. Star had wanted to help- which, as always, had led to disaster.

Marco shuddered a little at the memory of being tangled up by the hair of his own beard for hours while Star slowly scraped at it with a razor. It was funny in a weird kind of way that all of his favorite memories seemed to involve Star, right along with some of his _worst_ memories. The beard incident wasn't the only thing he occasionally had nightmares about. There was the Mewberty incident where he thought that he had lost her forever... The 'monster arm' incident, where he was almost eaten by his own evil appendage... And much more.

Of course, all of the nightmares and the bad memories were far outshone by the good ones. Such as the day they spent hanging out while time was frozen around them. Or the day they went out to the beach together. Or all of those long nights they spent hanging out in her room, while Marco did his very best to teach her the basics of the school curriculum. Any time they spent together, even outside of all the crazy, wacky adventures... Those were the best memories he had. And he would keep them, always... And dread the day that they inevitably began to fade.

Marco ran his hands through his hair and leaned his face upward to feel the water wash over his face.

'I... I won't forget her... Will I?' he thought. '...I-... I mean... It's gotta be... Impossible... Right?'

Marco sighed and slowly shook his head. '...No... No matter what happens... After tonight... At the very least, I'll always remember her.' he thought. '...I-... I wonder if she'll do the same...'

A surge of guilt and pain rose up to his chest at that thought, and he quickly bit it down. There was no need to think about that stuff. Whether she wanted to remember him or not... That would be her decision.

'...And honestly... I can't really blame her if she just wants to forget about me...'

Marco turned the shower handle and water immediately came to a stop. Taking a deep breath, Marco took a moment to drip and stare off into space before finally making his way out of the shower stall. The towel he had been handed was rather dainty, but luckily he seemed to have had the showers all to himself.

With a heavy sigh, he made his way into the changing area. Feeling more than a little uncomfortable as he struggled to cover up as much of himself as possible with the tiny towel. Eventually, he found the small basket that he had left his clothes in. While he had been showering, he had heard someone enter and drop off what sounded like a heavy suit of armor.

As he approached it, Marco sighed a little.

The past half hour or so had passed by like a blur. One minute he was angrily confronting the Royal Knight that had hurt Anastasia, one of the Buff Kids... The next minute, he found himself being ushered down the halls by a pack of heavily armored knights- and then pushed into the knights showers and told to wash up. They had told him that it was because they didn't want the armor getting dirtied before his so-called duel with Sir Jerkius the Golden.

Marco had rolled his eyes at that, but nevertheless decided to go with it. After all, he hadn't had a shower since the night before- and it had been a long day. Plus, enjoying a nice warm shower for once would no doubt prove to be relaxing and refreshing.

And it had. Although not as much as he had hoped.

Breathing another small sigh, Marco picked up the basket and froze.

"...Oh. You-... You've gotta be _kidding_ me..."

* * *

Kelly breathed a heavy sigh as she leaned back into her comfy chair. Hundreds of people were pouring into the arena from seemingly every direction, and it wasn't long until almost all of the seats were filled with loud audience members. The Royal Knights sitting in attendance appeared to have finally changed out of their bulky suits of armor in favor of the light blue tunics that they usually wore over chainmail. The rest of the audience appeared to be mostly made up the upper-class citizens of Mewni. All decked out in fancy robes and feathered hats.

The seats in the back row were filled with the poorer citizens of Mewni. Most of them were wearing old looking clothes with patches sewn onto them, along with fingerless gloves. A few of them were wearing fancy looking top hats that appeared to have had a bite taken out of them at some point.

Kelly smiled a little as she saw the excited faces of the people sitting in the back row. She had heard that it was Queen Moon herself who had decreed that some portion of the seating at the Gladiatorial Arena be saved for 'those with fewer means' as she put it. Queen Moon had often been accused among certain circles of a certain level of classism. And to a certain extent, that was true. But even still, she had been known to show great compassion for the so-called lower class in the past.

Part of that might have been due to her relationship with King River. Who had always had more in common with the 'lower' class than the 'higher'.

No matter what the cause, Kelly couldn't help but smile at the image of some stuffy upper-class Mewmans looking uncomfortable in their proximity to the rambunctious 'lower class'. And her smile grew even wider when she saw a some of the upper and lower class citizens mingling and laughing together. There was nothing quite like a battle to the death to bring people together.

"Lady Kelly, is your seat adjusted to your liking?" asked Sir Lavabo, as he took a seat next to her. "You know these 'VIP' chairs were installed rather recently... And they have this most amazing little trick to them... Watch..." he continued, as he flipped a switch on his armrest. All of a sudden, his chair began to vibrate- and Lavabo let out a long, shaky moan. "Ooooh, yes... She does wonders for the spine..." he groaned.

Kelly slowly adjusted her glasses as she watched Lavabo seem to melt into his chair. At the moment, they were both sitting in a special, cornered off area of the arena. Their seats were as close the actual battlegrounds as possible, a fair distance removed from the rest of the audience, and the seats themselves were made of the most comfortable fabrics in all the known dimensions. They were even equipped with their own mini-fans, with both a warming and a cooling option.

It was the first time Kelly had ever sat in a VIP area in a Gladiatorial arena. Every other time she had gone to an arena, she had gone with her siblings. She could still remember going to her first game of 'Explody Ball' when she was very young. She had lost her hearing for a little while afterwards- as did everyone else. But it was still one of the most exciting nights of her life. And part of the fun had been about sitting with her siblings along with a group of total strangers and yelling and cheering altogether.

Even with the incredible chairs, sitting away from the rest of the crowd felt... Wrong. Of course, she wasn't at the famous Butterfly Gladiatorial Arena just to enjoy herself. Not this time. Kelly took off her glasses and began to fiddle with them, as she did her best to ignore the clawing anxiety slowly tearing away at her from the inside.

She had been separated from Marco just over half an hour ago. After being ushered by a group of knights into a stagecoach, she had come very close to pulling her sword out of her hair and fighting her way back to Marco. But, somehow, Sir Lavabo had made it into the stagecoach before her. And he was able to talk her down.

After being taken to the Butterfly Gladiatorial Arena and following Lavabo into the VIP area, Kelly had spent the rest of her time either sighing or worrying. Usually both.

Marco was about to fight a Royal Knight who regarded as legendary among his peers. One of the strongest warriors in Mewman history, and the current strongest warrior in Butterfly Kingdom- outside of the royal family, of course.

Kelly had absolute faith in Marco. He was going to win. She was sure of it. But she also knew that there was no way he was about to get out of this unscathed. And she dreaded the idea of watching Marco get hurt and being forced to sit at the sidelines and do nothing about it.

"He will be okay, Lady Kelly." said Sir Lavabo.

Kelly blinked a few times and quickly slid her glasses back onto her face. "I... I know." she muttered. "...I just wish I could go down there with him. We came here together, after all..."

Lavabo chuckled to himself. "I see... Sir Marco is quite lucky to have such a loyal and thoughtful friend." he said.

Kelly gave an absent-minded nod as her thoughts quickly began to drift elsewhere. Lavabo watched Kelly start to stare off into space and fiddle with her glasses again with a look of quiet amusement. Turning to the chair on his other side, he found Demonicus sitting as still as a statue.

Her dark red armor looked all the more striking in the brighter lights of the arena. And her intricately designed helmet seemed all the more menacing. The helmet had two large, spiraled horns sticking out of either side and curling upwards into sharp points. Her face was entirely covered by a thick red faceplate, with two thin eyeholes. Even staring directly at it, it was impossible to see her eyes through the little holes. All one could see was a deep, black abyss.

Lavabo smiled a little. "...Lady Demonicus, these seats do have a reclining feature..." he said, in a voice barely above a whisper.

Demonicus seemed to give a small, appreciative nod before leaning back in her chair and making an appreciative noise when a footrest suddenly came folding out from inside the chair.

Things were quiet in the VIP area for a little while, as more Mewmans continued to pour into the seats- talking excitedly amongst themselves. Lavabo couldn't help but be impressed by how quickly Jerkius had managed to slap together his so-called 'emergency show'. It had been less than hour- and already, most of Butterfly Kingdom seemed to have been notified. In fact, upon scanning the audience again, it appeared that there were even a few people from some of the other kingdoms in attendance. Every now and again, Lavabo would spot a demon or a member of the 'Waterfolk'- or some other non-Mewman creature that had been arbitrarily labeled as 'not a Monster' sometime in the past.

Jerkius wasn't going to be very happy about seeing so many 'non-Mewman' faces in the crowd. And Lavabo was quite looking forward to seeing the Golden Knight struggle to keep his hostility under wraps when he addressed the audience. Lavabo had never been one to enjoy misery or frustration of others, but with Jerkius he often made an exception.

"Hey! Oh, wow! The new seats 'ave come in! Awesome!" exclaimed a loud voice, as the curtains around the VIP area were suddenly pulled to the side.

Kelly and Lavabo blinked and turned their attention to the source of the voice, while Demonicus remained perfectly still.

Prince Johanson shot Kelly and Lavabo a wide grin as he made his way over to a seat next to Demonicus. "Oh, yeah... That's cool. Check it out! It's even got cup-holders! Can you believe it? They're like holders, but for _cups_!" he exclaimed, before quickly climbing into a seat and leaning back. Prince Johanson breathed a long, satisfied sigh and Kelly and Lavabo both shared a quick glance.

"How're you, Demonicus? You still the most fearsome being in all history?" asked Prince Johanson, as he pulled out his compact-phone and began to fiddle around with it.

Demonicus gave a long, unintelligible growl and Prince Johanson chuckled to himself. "Oh, yeah? That's pretty cool." he said. "By the way- the rest of the young royals'll be showin' up any minute. Well, _most_ of 'em anyway. Some of 'em have a harder time sneakin' out than others."

Kelly slowly raised an eyebrow as she watched Prince Johanson continue to fiddle with his compact-phone. Prince Johanson was a short, tubby young man dressed in clothes that always seemed a little shabby for someone in a position of royalty. He also wore a long bear-fur cape, and had what appeared to be a pair of long tusks sticking out of each shoulder. Kelly had met Prince Johanson only a few times before. He was Star's cousin, after all. However, she hadn't seen him since the big 'Monster/Mewman Dance' fiasco.

He hadn't really changed much since then, although he did appear to be sporting a new scar along the top of his scalp.

Prince Johanson slowly looked up from his compact-phone and met Kelly's gaze. It seemed to take a moment for him to recognize her. But when he did, he quickly cracked a smile. "Oh, hey! Your that forest-dweller! Star's friend!" he exclaimed. "Good to see you again. Hey- can you tell me somethin'? I got this notification letter about this whole 'Emergency Battle' thing... But all it said was that Sir Jerkius'd be fightin' some guy called 'The Worthless Loser'. Is that the guys actual title, or what?"

Kelly frowned. "...He's fighting Marco." she muttered.

"Wait- you mean Star's squire? The 'Karate Boy'? _That_ Marco?" asked Prince Johanson, looking surprised. "Wow... I'm glad I made my way over, then. This'll be cool- I always wanted to see that guy in action again. I wonder if he'll use the sword hands..."

Kelly opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted when the curtains suddenly came flying open once more. This time, Rich Pidgeon strode into the VIP area looking tidy and proper in his bulky 'leg suit'. "Hello, friends! Ah! Johanson! I see you're here already!" he exclaimed. "And hello to you too, Kelly!"

Kelly offered Rich Pidgeon a friendly wave, as she watched him loudly introduce himself to Lavabo and Demonicus. Rich Pidgeon was quick to take a seat next to Prince Johanson, and before long they were both talking loudly amongst themselves. They had just begun discussing who they were going to bet on winning, when the curtain suddenly flung open once more.

"Ah! Princess Spiderbite! It's most wonderful to see you again!" exclaimed Rich Pidgeon, as Princess Spiderbite made her way into the VIP area, looking a little nervous. Behind her, stood a knight in black armor with a large silver emblem of a spider on its chest. The black knight's armor seemed to hang rather loosely, as if it were several times too big for whoever was wearing it. Its helmet was fastened shut, with only one thin line across the top for the knight to see though. And as the knight followed Princess Spiderbite into the VIP area, it looked like the knight was having trouble seeing where it was going.

Princess Spiderbite gingerly took the knights hand in her own to help lead it toward a set of chairs directly behind Prince Johanson and Rich Pidgeon. As she lead the knight forward, she did her best to hide the soft flush of red in her cheeks. "H-hello, Rich Pidgeon. It's nice to see you too." she muttered, as she helped the black knight into a chair. "You too, Johanson." she added, regarding Prince Johanson with a quick nod.

"Hey, Spiderbite! Glad to see you could make it!" exclaimed Prince Johanson, looking up from his compact-phone with a grin. "Who's your knight? He looks cool!"

Princess Spiderbite lowered her gaze and blushed a shade darker. Kelly raised an eyebrow as she noticed Princess Spiderbite glance over at the black knight before suddenly clearing her throat and doing her best to collect herself. Princess Spiderbite was wearing a long green dress with a thin white pattern sewn over it that resembled a spiders web. Her wooden crown had grown a few extra branches, with small white flowers cropping up all over. And her long brown hair had been braided with a collection of multi-colored flowers of varying shape and size.

It looked like Princess Spiderbite had put a lot more effort into her appearance than she usually did. And when Kelly's gaze fell onto the black knight, she quickly began to develop a suspicion as to why that might be.

Like the Johanson's, the Spiderbites weren't overly concerned with looking 'fancy' the way most royal types were supposed too. Instead, the Spiderbites seemed to spend all of their time obsessing over their namesake. The enormous spider bites that were usually seen protruding from their heads like over-sized sores. As always, the Princess' sore bulged out from the side of her forehead. But upon closer inspection, something about her sore seemed a little... Different. It wasn't pulsing in it's usual disturbing manner, for one thing. In fact- it looked almost... Fake.

Princess Spiderbite nervously cleared her throat as the red tinge in her cheeks seemed to refuse to fade. "Ah- He's, uh... He's not a knight... He's actually my Royal Squire." she explained. "...I-... I figured that if Star could have a personal Squire, then I could too- y'know?"

Rich Pidgeon cocked his head to the side. "Don't you already have servants? Why would you need a Squire?" he asked. "I'd been meaning to ask Star the very same question... Doesn't it seem a little... I dunno-... Superfluous?"

Princess Spiderbite huffed a little. "There is nothing at all strange about a princess requiring her own personal confidant. Being royalty can be very stressful... And exhausting. Sometimes... It's just really nice to know that you have someone around that you can count on... Someone you can lean on when the weight of your kingdom comes to be a little too much to bare..." as she spoke, her voice got progressively quieter, and she quickly began to shrink in her seat.

The black-armored Squire slowly and carefully reached out his hand and placed it on top of hers. Once again, Princess Spiderbite blushed a little as she gave the hand a light squeeze.

Prince Johanson slowly rubbed his chin. "...Huh... Maybe I should ask my Ma if I can get a Squire too..." he muttered.

Rich Pidgeon chuckled loudly to himself. "My, it seems as though Princess Butterfly is quite the trendsetter!" he exclaimed. "By the way- Princess Spiderbite, your Squire has yet to introduce himself! Surely he has a name other than 'Squire'."

The black-armored Squire seemed to flinch a little and quickly cleared his throat. "O-oh... Right. Sorry about that... My name's... Uh... It's-... G-... Gel. Y-yeah. Gel. Gel... Green." he muttered, his voice lightly trembling with nerves.

Princess Spiderbite looked equally nervous, and the two quickly squeezed each others hands in an attempt to reassure each other.

Rich Pidgeon gave a boisterous laugh. "Ah- I see! What a curious name!" he exclaimed. "You know- it's funny... I have a terrific memory when it comes to the sound of people's voices... And I must say, you sound remarkably similar to a slime monster that I met briefly during Princess Butterfly's Monster/Mewman party!"

Both Princess Spiderbite and the black-armored Squire gave an audible gasp, in perfect unison.

"Wha-whaaat?"

"That's crazy!"

"Yeah!"

"I-... I mean... Whoever heard of a slime monster disguising himself in a suit of black armor?"

"Exactly! The very idea- It's... It's ridiculous!"

"What she said! Ridiculous! I-... I'm just a regular old Squire! Definitely not a slime... Definitely!"

"Definitely!"

As Princess Spiderbite and the black-armored Squire quickly began to devolve into just repeating the word 'definitely' while fervently nodding at each other, Kelly had to resist the urge to chuckle at the farce that was playing out in front of her. Meanwhile, Rich Pidgeon and Prince Johanson simply nodded along with them- both looking extremely confused.

After a few minutes of this, Kelly finally decided to interrupt them. Lest the young royals find themselves stuck in a never-ending cycle of nodding for the rest of the night.

"So! Gel! Is this your first time coming to the Butterfly Gladiatorial Arena?" she asked, her voice loud enough to make the young royals jump a little. All four of them turned to face Kelly with looks of utter confused etched on their faces. There was a moment of awkward silence between, until Kelly eventually frowned and shot the black-armored Squire a look.

"That's _you_." she muttered, as she gestured toward him.

"O-oh! Right! _I'm_ Gel. Yeah... That's what I said..." muttered 'Gel', as he awkwardly cleared his throat. "Uh... Yeah. It's-... It's my first time coming to one of these big arena things... It's... It's kinda nerve-wracking, actually... I've never been around this many Mewmans at once before... "

Prince Johanson gave a light chuckle. "Yeah, there sure are a lot of us, huh?" he said. "Believe it or not- this isn't even the biggest Gladiatorial Arena on Mewni. I heard that there's a secret one somewhere down in the Underworld. Lucitor says it's just a myth- but I heard his Dad mention it a couple of times while he was arguing with Uncle River."

Rich Pidgeon thoughtfully rubbed the underside of his beak with his wing. "Hmm... Very interesting." he muttered. There was a brief lull in the conversation, as Rich Pidgeon seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment. "...Say- There's a certain question I've been pondering in my free time... Regarding Prince Lucitor... You and Princess Spiderbite have known him a while, have you not?"

Princess Spiderbite breathed a heavy sigh. "...Yeah. Our whole lives, actually. We 'Royal Kids' get forced into a lot of dances and dumb social events... And if you're first in line for the throne, then it's even _worse_." she grumbled. "We always wind up getting stuck into little groups, and we're always expected to play nice with each other."

Prince Johanson nodded. "Yeah- It get's kinda frustrating sometimes. And exhausting." he added. "Like, me and Spiderbite- we've never really liked each other much. Yet we always had to dance together and stuff... And I hate dancin' enough as it is. I mean- at least the lame 'swaying' kinda dancing. I don't mind the kind where you get to let loose a bit."

Rich Pidgeon and 'Gel' cocked their heads to the side, looking curious.

"You guys don't get along?" muttered 'Gel'. "Wha-... Why is that? I mean, you're both Mewmans- right? Plus, you're royalty..."

"Indeed. And I've seen the two of you interact on more than one occasion... Neither of you have seemed anything less than civil with each other..." added Rich Pidgeon.

Once again, Princess Spiderbite breathed a heavy sigh. "...It's kind of a long story..." she muttered.

Prince Johanson gave a small shrug. And then, he winced- and quietly frowned at the long tusks jutting out of his shoulders. "...It's not all that complicated, really. Back when we were kids, there was a lot of talk about 'consolidating the kingdoms' or whatever... And some of our parents got kinda carried away. They started pairing us off- and there was a bunch of talk about 'arranged marriages'. Spiderbite and I got paired up... and so did Star and Lucitor." said Prince Johanson. "Obviously, it didn't work out for anybody. Spiderbite and I are just super different... And we kinda got on each others nerves in a bad way."

"Ah... I suppose all of this occurred before my family and I took up the title of 'Royalty'..." muttered Rich Pidgeon.

Prince Johanson nodded. "Yeah. But all that stuff is in the past as far as I'm concerned." he said. "Of course- there are _some_ wounds that'll never fully heal..." he continued, gesturing toward the tusks that were embedded into his shoulders. "You know... Like _boating_ related wounds, for example..."

Princess Spiderbite frowned. "...I said I was _sorry_." she grumbled.

"No you _didn't_." growled Prince Johanson.

Sensing an incoming dispute between the Prince and Princess, Rich Pidgeon loudly cooed- and then cleared his throat. "Er- Getting back to my question from before, regarding Prince Lucitor..." he said.

"Just ask him yourself." snapped Princess Spiderbite, her mood having soured a little. Noticing this, 'Gel' softly placed a hand on her shoulder. Princess Spiderbite's sour expression softened a little at this, and she soon returned the sentiment by placing her own hand on top of his. As they shared a quiet moment together, Rich Pidgeon breathed a heavy sigh.

"...Yes, I suppose it might be best to simply approach him myself... Although, I must admit- I do find the demon prince to be rather... Intimidating. I often feel as though he may roast me alive at any moment..." said Rich Pidgeon.

"Aww, he's not so bad." said Prince Johanson. "Especially since he got back together with Star. He's really really startin' to turn himself around. You shoulda seen him when we were kids! He'd always laugh maniacally and do this thing where he spun his head all the way around just to freak us out. Also, he'd just start breathing fire at random while he was tryin' to speak. He burned off my eyebrows more than once."

Rich Pidgeon winced a little. "...That does not exactly fill me with confidence..." he muttered.

"What is it you need to ask him, anyway? Is it about ancient demonic secrets and stuff? 'Cuz Lady Demonicus could probably help with that..." said Prince Johanson, as he gestured toward Demonicus, who was snoring loudly in her chair.

Rich Pidgeon shook his head. "No... Not quite. Actually, my business with Prince Lucitor involves a certain wager between Princess Ponyhead and I..." he said, as he leaned forward and lowered his voice. As Rich Pidgeon and Prince Johanson began to whisper amongst themselves, Princess Spiderbite and 'Gel' leaned a little closer to each other and began to do the same.

Kelly watched them for a little while, with only a passing interest. As time passed, Rich Pidgeon and Prince Johanson's expressions seemed oddly severe, while Princess Spiderbite gave 'Gel' a playful shove before they both tried and failed to stifle a laugh. Kelly smiled a little at the image of Princess Spiderbite and her 'Squire' laughing amongst themselves. It reminded her of what Star and Marco used to look like.

Kelly sighed. She could still remember the first time she had heard Marco's name. It was a lazy afternoon at her treehouse. She had spent most of the day lazing around with Tad, doing nothing. Then, all of a sudden, Princess Ponyhead came bursting in through the ceiling. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, of course. Princess Ponyhead had made a habit of making loud and dramatic entrances for as long as she remembered. Kelly had barely had time to greet her before Ponyhead suddenly launched into a long-winded tirade about someone she referred to as 'Earth Turd'. Neither Kelly nor Tad had any real idea what it was that she was babbling about- but then, that was business as usual with Ponyhead.

Eventually, Ponyhead got to the part about how this 'Earth Turd' was obviously plotting to steal the title of 'Star's Best Friend' from her. Apparently, Star had turned down yet another invitation to hang out at the Bounce Lounge in favor of something called 'Friendship Thursday' with the aforementioned 'Earth Turd'. As she launched into yet another rant, Kelly and Tad exchanged a weary look. Kelly and Tad had always been very different people. For one thing, Kelly had a near-insatiable thirst for adventure. While Tad was all about 'chilling out'. These opposing traits of theirs actually worked together pretty well. For the most part, at least. Kelly often encouraged Tad to be more active, and Tad was good at encouraging Kelly to take time to relax. Their differences actually complimented each other pretty well. Which was part of the reason their relationship had lasted so long in the first place.

Sometime during Ponyheads third rant, she mentioned the 'Earth Turd's real name. Marco Diaz. According to Ponyhead, he was a rather nerdy and unreliable person from the 'Earth' dimension. Apparently, Star had moved in with his family at her parents request- and she had taken quite a shine to him. Ponyhead was not at all shy about expressing her jealousy and outrage at this. First, she claimed that Marco was 'tricking' her somehow. Then, she claimed that Marco was a hopeless idiot, and had to rely on Star just to survive. And finally, after almost an hour of talking non-stop, she finally got around to admitting the real reason that she felt so strongly about him.

 _"This is going to be the whole Tom thing all over again! You just watch! He's gonna hurt her, and then she's gonna spend a whole month in the dumps!"_ she exclaimed. _"Then what'll I do when I need a dance buddy at the Bounce Lounge!? I can't rely on you guys! Your moves are terrible!"_

Kelly remembered rolling her eyes a little as Ponyhead spoke. For some reason, Ponyhead always seemed to have trouble admitting that she cared about people other than herself. So, she whenever she expressed concern for another person, she always had to frame it in selfishness. She seemed to do it completely by instinct at this point. Never allowing herself to express genuine empathy for others for anything longer than a minute at a time. It was one of the many 'quirks' that made Ponyhead Ponyhead.

Eventually, Kelly and Tad found themselves being forcibly invited to go to the Goblin Dog truck the next day. Apparently, Ponyhead had hatched a plan to have Kelly and Tad run interference on Marco while she spent some quality time with Star. Naturally, Ponyhead left before either Kelly or Tad could agree to this. And the next day, they found themselves following Ponyheads orders- to varying degrees of success.

During that day, as they stood in line for their Goblin Dogs, Kelly and Tad had both learned a great deal about the so-called 'Earth Turd'. It had taken literally no effort at all on their part to get Marco to suddenly open up to them. And before long, he was pouring out his entire life story to them. Kelly had never been particularly good at talking to new people, so she had simply stayed quiet the entire time. Tad simply followed suit.

 _"I mean... Sometimes, it feels like they're the kids... And I'm the parent... Y'know?"_

Kelly remembered the exasperated look that Marco had worn throughout the entire day. From what he had told them, he had already been through quite a bit with Star- and to a lesser extent, Ponyhead -during the relatively short time he had known them. And on that day, he seemed to be coming close to reaching his wits end. Eventually, he seemed to turn all of his frustrations into a near unstoppable drive to finally get his hands on a Goblin Dog, so that he could finally eat and go home.

Things spiraled out of control pretty quickly after that. Mostly because Roy couldn't help but indulge in his habit of annoying his customers until he drove them close to insanity. Ultimately, they did finally manage to get their Goblin Dogs. Which meant that in the end, things had mostly worked out for everyone involved. Ponyhead got to spend a little one on one time with Star, and Marco had gotten an opportunity to let a few things off his chest that seemed to have been weighing on him for quite some time.

Kelly had been happy to help. But if she was being honest, she couldn't really see what Ponyhead had been so worried about. At least, not during their first meeting anyway. Kelly's first impressions of Marco were pretty shallow. All that she really learned about him was that he seemed to worry a lot, and he was prone to stress. That, and he seemed to be a lot more physically capable than he appeared at a glance. It was possible that Kelly's impression of him might have stayed that way forever. Heck- it was even possible that their paths would never cross again.

But then, they did. During another lazy late afternoon, Kelly had been drowning herself in Goblin Dogs after having broken up with Tad for the third time that week. She very well might have put herself into another 'Goblin Dog coma' that day, if Star hadn't shown up when she did. Desperate for something else to put her mind on, Kelly agreed to help her in her newfound endeavor to keep the Bounce Lounge from shutting down forever.

That evening had turned into a rather fun night, as she soon found herself reunited with the old 'Bounce Lounge Crew'. As things began to happen at a chaotic pace- as they so often did when Star was involved- Kelly noticed a new side to Marco. She saw him smile and laugh together with Star. Even though it was obvious that he would rather be doing anything other than hanging out with Ponyhead in a nightclub filled with near-deafening music- he still did his best to stand with Star. And support her with everything he had, as Star continued her obsessive fight to keep the Bounce Lounge alive.

Through her depressed haze, she couldn't help but be a little impressed as he watched him throw all of his energy into helping Star. Apparently, this was something he did quite often. And Star would return the favor- although it was usually with something on a smaller scale, like helping him talk to a girl he had a crush on.

Watching Star and Marco work together had actually made her feel a little jealous. Looking at them made her think about her relationship with Tad, and how fragile it often seemed. In comparison, Star and Marco looked like the strongest pair she had ever seen. It was obvious, that night, that they shared a special bond. Watching them had made her want to try and build something similar between Tad and herself... So, she and Tad made up once again- and that night, it almost seemed like they really might be able to finally find whatever it was that was missing in their relationship. Unfortunately, the moment passed pretty quickly. And her relationship with Tad went back to how it was before. And things would continue that way for a few more months.

As she remembered that night at the Bounce Lounge, Kelly slowly adjusted her glasses and leaned back in her chair with a heavy sigh.

How old was that memory by now? It felt like a relic from a distant era. So far away and different that it almost felt like some kind of dream when she thought back to it.

For a while now, Kelly had been doing her best not to get caught up in nostalgia. Especially now that she had rededicated her life to moving forward, and trying to find a new pathway for herself. One where she could be happy with or without a significant other. But in the time since the whole 'Stump Day' incident occurred, it was getting more and more difficult for her not to think back to a time when everything seemed much simpler.

If only she could have done something different... Maybe-... Maybe if on the night that Star called an emergency friend meeting and finally admitted her burgeoning feelings for Marco out loud... Maybe if she had stopped her from leaving that night... Or-... Maybe if she had tried to talk to Marco... Or if she had just put a greater effort into keeping them from splitting up somehow... Even if it meant shoving them both into a room and forcing them to talk things out... Then, maybe things would be different. Better. For both of them.

Kelly sighed again and quickly shook her head.

No. The truth was... There was nothing she could have done to prevent the fissure between Marco and Star from growing into what it had. It felt almost inevitable. But that didn't make it any less heartbreaking to watch one of the strongest relationships she had ever seen slowly dwindle and fade away.

It was funny to think that in the aftermath of Stump Day... Some part of her had actually thought that things might finally change for the better between Star and Marco. After all, he had finally revealed to her at least some part of how he felt. All it would take would be that next step... For Marco to tell her exactly why he had been so depressed recently. Kelly was confident that Star would find a way to fix things between them. And even if it didn't result in some big dramatic development... Even if Star decided to stay with Tom... At least she and Marco would have finally started being honest with each other. And from there... Maybe, just maybe... They could start to rebuild the incredible friendship that they had lost some time ago...

But things hadn't worked out that way. Instead, they both seemed to have doubled down on the whole 'not communicating' thing, and it was obviously making them both utterly miserable. Unfortunately, there seemed to be nothing that anyone could do to help them... They had to figure out things for themselves. And no amount of prodding from others was going to make that happen. Star or Marco- preferably both- had to be willing to take the first step. And with every passing day, it became less and less likely that it was going to happen. They were both stubborn, angry and hurt... And their bond was more fractured than ever before.

Kelly bit her bottom lip and frowned. Watching two of her best friends suffer like this was difficult. Painful. But it was probably nowhere near as painful as it was for Star and Marco... And possibly even Tom. Some part of her was glad not to be stuck in the middle of all the drama... While another part of her wished that she was. Just so she could try and really change something.. Before it was too late.

"I must say that I wholeheartedly disagree! Obviously, Prince Lucitor is the correct partner for Princess Star. Just think about it! They have everything in common. They share a long history, they are both two of the most powerful creatures in all of Mewni, _a_ _nd_ they truly care about each other!" exclaimed Rich Pidgeon. "Think about it! Has there ever been a pairing more perfect than those two? Why, if they were to take the throne together, they would no doubt be the most incredible leaders in Mewni's history!"

Kelly blinked, as she turned to find Rich Pidgeon and Prince Johanson in the midst of a heated argument.

Prince Johanson scoffed. "I can't believe what I'm hearing!" he exclaimed. "Maybe it's 'cuz you don't know my cousin like I do- but lemme tell you something! That whole Star and Tom thing? It's doomed from the start!"

"Do not start with that! You sound just like Princess Ponyhead!" exclaimed Rich Pidgeon, his feathers ruffled in frustration. "I may not have known them for as long as you have, but perhaps that's just the point! You cannot seem to see their relationship without having it tinged by memories of the past! Try looking at the two of them objectively! Tom is a troubled young man, yes, but he has obviously done everything in his power to change!"

Prince Johanson frowned. "Oh, that's rich comin' from _you._ Didn't you just tell me that you were worried about Tom puttin' you on a rotisserie or somethin'? Turnin' you from Rich Pidgeon to _Barbecue_ Pidgeon?"

Rich Pidgeon huffed once more and ruffled his feathers even further. "My own primal fear of demons has little to do with this! I've seen those two together! Haven't you? Tom resembles an altogether different person when he is by her side! He radiates a love and care for that girl that is written about only in the most beautiful of love poems!" he exclaimed. "Of course, I've heard the stories... Ponyhead has taken it upon herself to ensure that I am fully informed about his past misdeeds. But let me ask you- Does that disqualify him from receiving a second chance? Does that somehow cheapen the incredible depths of his love and affection? Of course not!"

Prince Johanson grit his teeth and crossed his arms over his chest. "I ain't sayin' that he doesn't deserve a second chance! I never said that! And I didn't say that his feelings for her ain't _real_ , either!" he exclaimed. "What I am saying, is that they just don't belong together! And I don't care how much you insist that they do!"

"Oh- Are you truly pretending that there is such a thing as a predetermined outcome? Are you going to argue in favor of such concepts as 'destiny'? Because let me tell you something, Prince Johanson! There is no such thing! At all! I do not care what the rumors say about the fabled 'Blood Moon Ball'- nor do I buy into such cheap romantic notions as predestined soul mates!" exclaimed Rich Pidgeon. "Such things belong between the covers of a book! Notions such as these cannot be entertained in the real world! If such thing were true, then why even try to seek out a partner? If such things are truly predestined, then they will simply 'happen'- no matter what you do! Or _don't_ do!"

"That ain't my point either! Forget about the Blood Moon stuff! Forget about the red string of fate, and all the other junk! When it comes right down to it, Star and Marco are just better for each other! They lead each other outta their comfort zones, and they've both changed each other in a deep and fundamental way already!" exclaimed Prince Johanson. "I'm not tryin' to take anything away from them as individuals- and hey, maybe they'd have changed all on their own. But think about it! Star never woulda started thinkin' about Monsters the way she does if it weren't for Marco! Heck- if it weren't for Marco, she'd probably still be runnin' away from her future as Queen of Mewni, instead of facin' it head on like she is now! And then there's Marco! A weak little kid from a dimension void of all magic! You think there's any way he coulda become the guy he is now without Star?"

Rich Pidgeon huffed and cooed at the same time. "Yes, exactly! Think about what you just said! Marco would be nothing without Star!" almost as soon as the words escaped his beak, Rich Pidgeon suddenly paused and shook his head. "No... That is unfair. I'm sure that Marco would have the capacity to grow into an impressive man even without her influence. But it is undeniable that they are simply mismatched! Totally and completely! I mean- think about it what you just said! Marco is utterly devoid of magic! And his entire dimension is just the same as he! The fact that he has managed to adapt as well as he had is nothing short of incredible! But how long will it take for him to reach his limit? How long with it take for him to simply crumble under the weight of everything around him? And that is to say nothing of the possibility of him becoming King someday! Can you possibly think of someone any less equipped to support her as time goes on? He can barely support himself!"

Kelly grit her teeth when she heard this from the other side of the VIP area. And she was suddenly overcome with the urge to walk over and give Rich Pidgeon a piece of her mind. And possibly her sword, just for good measure.

Suddenly, Princess Spiderbite leaned forward in her chair- breaking away from a conversation with 'Gel' to send a withering scowl in Rich Pidgeon's direction. "Hey! Don't you go bad mouthin' Princess Turdina! I'll have you know that he's done more for more people than you _ever_ have!" she exclaimed. "Heck- the fact that he's not some all-powerful demon oughtta make you realize just how amazing he really is! He's an inspiration to Princesses _everywhere_!"

Prince Johanson and Rich Pidgeon stared blankly at her for a moment.

"...He's a princess?" muttered Rich Pidgeon.

Princess Spiderbite gave a proud nod. "You bet your feathers he is! He single-handedly ignited the revolution that eventually tore down Saint Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses _forever_! And he became the face of protest for all Princesses across the dimensions!" she exclaimed. "It doesn't matter that he's a boy- or that he's not technically royalty. His words and actions have touched the hearts and minds of Princesses everywhere! Plus- and let me just be real for as second- he is _much_ cuter than Tom is."

At this, Rich Pidgeon and Prince Johanson gave an overly dramatic gasp. 'Gel', meanwhile, shifted around in his chair a little- looking a little uncomfortable with the gleam in Princess Spiderbites eyes as she spoke about 'Princess Turdina'.

"That is preposterous!" exclaimed Rich Pidgeon.

"Yeah! Have you even _seen_ Tom? He's, like, one of the best-lookin' guys of all time!" exclaimed Prince Johanson. "I mean- don't get me wrong, I like Marco and all- but let's not pretend that Tom doesn't have him totally beat in the looks department."

Rich Pidgeon nodded. "Indeed. Tom is _superbly_ handsome- if I do say so myself. He has that classic dangerous and suave flair to him that is quite simply irresistible." he said. "Why, if Princess Ponyhead weren't already clearly at the very top of the 'Most Attractive' list, I dare say that Tom would be number one! Above even myself!"

Prince Johanson nodded. "Exactly!" he exclaimed.

Princess Spiderbite rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "You two couldn't be more wrong if you _tried_. Princess Turdina is _crazy_ good looking! And it doesn't even matter if he's wearing a dress, a hoodie, or even that grey jacket he was wearing at the Monster/Mewman thing! He's always the perfect mixture of handsome and cute. Right, Sli- I mean... ' _Gel_ '." she said, as she gave 'Gel' a soft nudge with her elbow.

'Gel' shifted around uncomfortably as all of sudden, everyone's attention turned to him. "Uh-... I dunno..." he muttered. "I mean- I think they're _both_ good lookin' guys..."

At that, Rich Pidgeon, Prince Johanson, and Princess Spiderbite all rolled their eyes.

"Oh, take a _stand_!" exclaimed Prince Johanson. Both Rich Pidgeon and Princess Spiderbite seemed to nod along in agreement with Prince Johanson.

'Gel' breathed a heavy sigh. "...I dunno, you guys... I mean- It doesn't even matter, right?" he muttered. "Looks aren't everything... Besides, Princess Star's already made her choice. So there's no use arguing about it. The choice was her's... And she made it. Right? I mean-... If she really did want to be with Marco more than Tom... Then she would've made it happen by now, right?"

Princess Spiderbite stared at 'Gel' for a moment, before finally relenting with a heavy sigh. "...You're right..." she muttered, as her hand slowly made its way up to the 'spider bite' on her forehead. Unbeknownst to anyone but her and 'Gel', her current spider bite was a fake. Something she had been wearing ever since the night that she had her spider bite 'cured' by a very sweet slime monster. Princess Spiderbite flashed 'Gel' a soft smile, as she slowly lowered her hand.

"...She's made her decision. Maybe... Maybe we oughtta respect that." she said. "I-... I know how frustrating it can be... When people start makin' a big show of 'disapproving' of the person you've chosen to be your partner. Maybe we should just... Mind our own business, y'know? And not just us- but Ponyhead, too."

Rich Pigeon sighed and slowly shook his head. "...Although I do happen to agree with you, Princess Spiderbite... I'm afraid it's already too late. You see- Princess Ponyhead and I... We have been participating in a certain wager together... Something called the 'King-pool'. And it is not just Ponyhead and me, either. I've heard that the participation numbers for this King-pool are somewhere in the thousands... Possibly more. And included in that number, are people from across of all the dimensions... Far and wide." he explained. "Of course- it is supposed to be something of a secret... Which I suppose explains why Prince Johanson here had never heard of it..."

"I'm still on Ponyhead's side, by the way." said Prince Johanson. "All my money is on Marco Diaz. And I won't be changin' my mind."

"...I wish I could convince you two otherwise... Especially Ponyhead. She seems to have her heart set on what she refers to as 'Star-co'. And I'm afraid... That she is going to find herself deeply disappointed. As are you." said Rich Pigeon.

As the royals finally began to talk at more reasonable volume, Kelly quietly removed her glasses and slowly rubbed her temples. All throughout their loud conversation, Kelly had done her best to resist the urge join in. Especially when Rich Pigeon had started talking. Ultimately, however, she couldn't help but feel like talking about the whole 'Marco and Star' situation would be a betrayal of Marco's confidence. Even though his feelings for her had become glaringly obvious to anyone looking in from the outside, it was still a precious secret to him. And not something to be talked about lightly. Especially not with a group of people she barely even knew.

Kelly sighed.

'...I wonder just how many people know about this by now? Is it literally everyone but Star?' she thought. Kelly bit her lip a little, as she felt a pang of guilt. It didn't seem right that Star was the only one totally in the dark. Frowning a little, Kelly breathed another long sigh. 'I wonder... I wonder how long it'll take for her to figure it out on her own... She's usually pretty perceptive with that stuff, but... Well... Maybe Marco's her blind spot...'

Kelly didn't get much time to think any deeper on the subject, as her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud high pitched whine. Kelly grit her teeth and clutched her ears, as everyone else in the arena did the same. Some hissed in pain, while others loudly cursed. All around the arena, there were a series of large speakers with lights on them. The lights were flickering erratically from red to green. After another high pitched whine, followed by the sound of a scuffle, the loudspeaker lights finally settled on green.

A woman's voice suddenly filled the entire arena, amplified by speakers.

"Welcome, one and all! Sorry about the little mishap! We're not really used to the controls... And someone spilled a bunch of cheese and cream all over the place!"

Suddenly, a male voice cut in. "That was _you_! You were practicing your pie-juggling again! Don't try to pin this on _me_!"

"Too late!" exclaimed the woman's voice. "Now, then! Ladies, Gentlemen and other! I am the Royal Fool-Duke of the Butterfly Kingdom! Joining me is world renowned genius... The Mime!"

"..."

There was a brief moment of silence, followed by some scattered applause among the crowd.

"Aaaand, also joining me is some stupid, lazy songstral. Now then-" began Fool-Duke, only to be hastily interrupted once again by the male voice.

"Hey! Don't just-"

"Come on, Ruberiot! We've got a schedule to keep! You wanna get back to your lonely one bedroom apartment at a reasonable time, don't you?" exclaimed Fool Duke.

"...Yes. Of course. But- I did happen to write a lovely poem that I thought I might-" began Ruberiot- only to be interrupted.

"Nope!"

"Oh, come on! Why must you be so difficult?"

"Hey, you promised that if I let you into the announcer's booth that there's be no songs and no poems!"

"...Yes, well... What if I were to read just _one.._. One little poem... I'm sure both you and the audience will greatly appreciate it."

"You know what _I_ think the audience will appreciate?"

"What?"

"NOW ENTERING THE GLADIATORIAL ARENA; _SIR JERKIUS THE GOLDEN_!"

The crowd immediately erupted in a deafening cheer that seemed send a tremor running across the entire arena. Kelly's features stiffed, while everyone else leaned forward in their chairs to get the best view of the combat area as possible. The actual combat area below them was nothing more than a field of dirt. It didn't look like a particularly pleasant terrain to fight in. There were hundreds of small rocks scattered across the dirt, along with a few discarded packets of corn chips and old bottles of corn syrup. Apparently, in all the excitement to set up the so-called 'emergency fight', no one had taken the time to clean up the combat area. There were some blood splatters spread across the big metal walls that surrounded it.

The metal walls that encircled the combat area were tall enough to make sure that no-one could climb out in a fit of desperation. And the top of each wall ended in a series of long metal spikes that also appeared to be covered in barbed wire- just for good measure. There were two large metal doors on either side of the ring. One door was painted red, while the other was painted bright gold. Naturally, the golden door was the first one to open. It did so very slowly, as if to savor the drama of the reveal.

Eventually, the door finally lowered into the ground, and Jerkius stepped outside to meet a wave of cheers from his adoring public. His golden armor shined brilliantly under the lights of the arena, and the various jewels that decorated his chest plate glimmered gently as he moved. His face was covered by his golden helmet, just as it had been when Kelly saw him last. But even still, it wasn't difficult to imagine the smug on his face as he happily absorbed the adulation from all around him.

As he made his way toward to the middle of the combat area, he raised his hands into the air gesturing for the crowd to cheer even louder. The crowd happily accepted the challenge, and before too long Kelly found herself having to block her ears with her hair as the entire area began to quake from the sheer force of the audience's enthusiasm.

Somewhere amidst the loud cheers, voices continued to talk amongst themselves through the speaker system.

"I can't believe you just did that! I had a whole opening song prepared for Sir Jerkius- and you just announced his entrance without any semblance of build up! Do you know nothing about the world of theatre?" muttered Ruberiot.

"Pfft- I've played for theatres bigger than you could even dream of, Ruby-rot." said Fool Duke.

"Oh, please. No one is impressed by your filling a room with drunken idiots and spending an hour waving a rubber chicken in front of them." said Ruberiot.

"You know, you're a sour enough guy as it is without adding _jealousy_ to the mix, Ruby-rot." said Fool Duke. "Your just jealous 'cuz I can do what you'll never do. Make people smile and laugh."

Ruberiot huffed. "...There's more to art than making people happy." he grumbled.

"Oh, sure. The thing is, you can't do any of the _other_ stuff, either." said Fool Duke.

"Why you rude, _uncultured_ -" exclaimed Ruberiot, before being interrupted by the sound of a pie being thrown. The sounds of a small scuffle quickly followed, along with a series of insults from both Ruberiot and Fool Duke. Eventually, the sound of a near deafening 'smack' filled the air. Followed quickly series of pained groans from both Ruberiot and Fool Duke.

"Ow! Mime- That mallet is supposed to be used for comedy! Not _violence_!" exclaimed Fool Duke.

"Is there even a difference?" grumbled Ruberiot.

Fool Duke made a sound that made it seem like she was about to respond- only for her to suddenly fall silent. As the cheers of the crowd slowly died down, the entire arena was suddenly let in an eery silence- save for some mutterings from among the crowd. Eventually, Fool Duke spoke up again.

"Alright, alright- I'll stop taking jabs at Ruberiot. But only if he promises to do the same!" she exclaimed. The speakers squeaked a little as she spoke, and the entire audience began to trade confused looks.

"..."

Another brief pause. Then, Ruberiot reluctantly cleared his throat. "...Okay. Fine. I'll do that... And I'll keep my poems and songs to myself... Just as I promised." he muttered.

There was yet another brief pause, followed quickly by the faint sound of someone clapping.

Kelly smirked a little as she watched Jerkius cross his arms over his chest, obviously frustrated with the fact that the audience's attention was no longer focused on him. As Jerkius looked over the crowd, Kelly noticed him suddenly stiffen. Jerkius went still for a moment, and then slowly moved his arms to his sides. His hands slowly tightened into fists, as he seemed to shudder in disgust. Or rage.

He had obviously just noticed all of the so-called 'non-Mewmans' in the audience.

Kelly clenched her teeth. '...Marco. I hope you knock some sense into that twisted jerk.' she thought.

"Well- With that settled... Welcome everyone, to another Grand Gladiatorial Battle starring Sir Jerkius, the Legendary Golden Knight!" exclaimed Fool Duke, through the speakers.

Once again, the crowd burst into cheers. This seemed to soothe Jerkius, but only a little. With a slight huff, Jerkius rose one hand into the air and motioned to someone in the crowd.

"Ah- That's right! Sir Jerkius requested that he be able to say few words before we all get started... Does anyone know where we put the new microphone?" asked Ruberiot.

"What does it look like?" asked Fool Duke.

"Are you kidding me? Wait- Don't answer that." said Ruberiot. "It's a microphone, okay? It looks like a microphone."

"Hmm... Uh oh."

"What?"

"Well, I just finished eating this silver ice-cream... And it was a little _crunchier_ than usual..."

"What- Are you-... _How_!?" sputtered Ruberiot.

"Oh, no, wait- here it is. Thanks, Mime. HEY! SOMEONE GO TAKE THIS OVER TO SIR JERKIUS!" bellowed Fool Duke. "WHAT? I DUNNO! THROW IT AT HIM IF YOU HAVE TO! NOW HURRY UP! WE DON'T HAVE ALL NIGHT!"

There was a brief moment of silence in the arena, until a short Squire suddenly popped out from somewhere in the crowd. With a loud grunt, the Squire threw a wireless microphone into the battle area. Jerkius seemed to give a small sigh as he lazily caught it with his outstretched hand. Wasting no time, Jerkius brought the microphone up to his helmet, pressed a small button on its side and loudly cleared his throat.

"Good evening, everyone." he said. "How is everybody doing?"

The crowd cheered loudly in response, some members of the crowd even pumped their fists into the air while others waved banners and flags that read 'Jerkius 4 Life' or 'I Heart Jerkius'.

Jerkius gave a soft chuckle as he waited patiently for the cheers to die down. "Excellent. Now then, in case a few of you are unaware... Allow me to explain why it is that this emergency Gladiatorial Battle is being held..." he said. "You see, we Royal Knights were in the midst of an important meeting... When our challenger suddenly burst into the room, making a series of ridiculous demands, and disrespecting not just myself- but all of our royal knights..."

Members of the audience gasped, booed and hissed as that. To which Jerkius gave another small chuckle.

In the VIP area, Kelly clenched her teeth and dug her fingers into the armrests of her chair. The young royals were all sitting forward in their seats, paying full attention. Demonicus appeared to be asleep, while Lavabo simply stroked his beard and seemed to lose himself in thought.

"Yes, yes... Quite the fool, indeed. But of course, things didn't end there... Because then, the boy actually dared to challenge me to a battle!" exclaimed Jerkius, feigning surprise. "It was quite the development... Of course, I cannot let such disrespect go unpunished... And so, I graciously accepted his challenge- and here we are, only a short time after... Thank you all for coming on such short notice, by the way. I'm always happy to share my victories with a crowd."

The crowd cheered once more.

"Now then... I believe that time is of the essence. So, announcers... Please feel free to introduce the challenger." said Jerkius. With that, Jerkius pressed the button on the side of the microphone once more and then threw it back into the crowd- where it landed with a hard 'thud' in the face of a half-asleep Squire.

"Alright, then! NOW ENTERING THE ARENA! THE _CHALLENGER_!" exclaimed Fool Duke.

As the large metal door opposite Jerkius began to open, the audience had already begun to hiss and boo. Kelly quietly held her breath as she watched the door slowly lower into the ground. Prince Johanson and Rich Pigeon began to bounce up and down with childish excitement, as Princess Spiderbite gave 'Gel' a gentle nudge and then offered him her hand. He took it, and she gave it a tight squeeze.

Lavabo shifted forward in his chair, with a small smile. 'Show them what you are made of, my former Squire...' he thought.

Demonicus was still fast asleep.

Once the door had fully opened, a small figure took a few small steps out of the shadows. Kelly squinted. She couldn't quite see him properly. As the crowd continued to hiss and jeer, the figure paused for a moment. Then, finally, he stepped out into the light. And very quickly, the crowd went silent.

Marco stepped into the battlefield with a bright blush in his cheeks. His cape fluttered behind him, as he slowly made his way to the center of the field. He was wearing a small pair of white boxer shorts, covered in small red love hearts.

And his cape.

And nothing else.

The crowd was silent for long.

"...He-... HE'S IN HIS _UNDERWEAR_!" bellowed a voice from the crowd. A wave of chuckles began to rise up from the audience, which quickly turned into outright laughter. Before long, the entire arena was filled with the sounds of uproarious laughter.

Marco's blush reached his ears as he stood in the middle of an arena filled with people pointing and laughing at his nearly naked body. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to clutch at his cape and try to wrap it around himself. Or to simply run and find a cold, dark place to hide in for the rest of his life.

Marco felt a tremble in his hands and knees, as tears threatened to well up in his eyes. Marco quickly closed his eyes and drew a few sharp breaths. In that moment, he was living one of his worst nightmares. Marco had always felt insecure about his own body, especially after entering puberty. He always felt a little too chubby. Or scrawny. Or sweaty. It was why he had never gone to a public pool without a shirt or a hoodie. He'd always felt the need to cover up. He'd even been known to bring his own shower curtains into the school showers after gym class.

It had gotten a little better recently. His experiences with Star had helped him gain some measure of confidence. And during his sixteen-year long quest in Heckapoo's dimension, he had even managed to grow all the way out of his insecurities and flaunt himself a bit. Of course, part of the reason he could do that was because he had grown out of his awkward, teenage body and into a body that could be objectively labeled as 'hot'. Or 'rockin'. Which were both compliments that Heckapoo had thrown his way more than one in order to distract him during their long battle.

Dating Jackie Lynn Thomas had also given him a slight boost in confidence. After all, she had seemed to really like him- even with his awkward, sweaty body. Of course, that confidence boost was short lived. After he had ruined everything with her, and then made his way back to Mewni only to be rejected by Star... Any shred of confidence he might have gained, swiftly evaporated.

He had tried to gain some measure of confidence by being the best Squire he could be... And he had failed swiftly at that, as well. For an entire year now, his confidence had been at an all-time low. More than once, he had found himself staring into deepest depths of despair. Deeply considering his own self-worth. Or lack thereof.

Kelly and Buff Frog had been there to help pull him out of the abyss more than once. And so had the Buff Kids. After Stump Day, he had spent more and more time with them. Teaching them how to read and write, and telling them stories. He had even had them over at his house on Earth to watch movies with Kelly and Janna. They were like family to him now.

And Jerkius had hurt one of them. Anastasia. He might have even _killed_ her if she hadn't run away when she did.

Marco took another deep breath, as he slowly tuned out the sounds of laughter from all around him. Some of the audience members had started pointing and yelling at him.

"He looks so weak!"

"I ain't never seen someone look so pathetic!"

"Put on a shirt! No one wants to see your gross body!"

Marco clenched his hands into fists to stop the trembling, and help his breath. It took a great deal of willpower to keep the tears at bay, but he did. '...Don't worry about it...' he told himself. 'It's not important. None of this is important... The only thing that matters, is getting this so-called 'Royal Knight' to apologize. Not just to Anastasia, but to all the Buff Kids... And Buff Frog. I'll make him look right into their angry eyes...'

'I know... That it won't change Jerkius. But... I don't want Anastasia to be afraid of Mewmans. I don't want that for any of them. They have to know that no Mewman will get away with treating Monsters that way. Or, at the very least... This one won't.' thought Marco, as he breathed a heavy sigh. '...That's why I'm here. For them. I'm gonna make this guy apologize, all by myself. And hopefully... Seeing this guy bow in front of them, and apologize... Will spare Anastasia a nightmare or two. I hope so, at least.'

Marco opened his eyes as he heard the sound of a low chuckle. Looking up, he found Jerkius standing just a short distance in front of him. Marco couldn't see his face- or even his eyes. But it wasn't difficult to imagine the twisted smile on the man's face.

"Well, well... It would appear that someone stole away your 'Earth' clothes... How unfortunate." said Jerkius, with a small snicker.

Marco sighed. "...Yeah. I figured this was your doing." he muttered.

"I'm surprised that you were stupid enough to enter the ring, at all. Surely you're aware that changing your armor once you're inside the battle area is strictly against the rules?" asked Jerkius.

Marco twitched a little. "...Of _course_ it is." he muttered.

Jerkius joined the crowd in laughing for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, as the laughs died down, the sound of Fool Duke's voice echoed throughout the arena, via the speakers.

"Hey, isn't that Marco!?" she exclaimed.

"Why- it is! I didn't recognize him without his red hoodie..." added Ruberiot.

"Ladies and gentleman... It appears our challenger is none other than Marco Diaz! Squire to the Princess, and hero of Mewni!" announced Fool Duke.

"Yes! He is one of the founding members of 'La Resistance'... The organization that I created in order to overthrow the evil tyrant Ludo and his army of rats!" exclaimed Ruberiot.

Fool Duke scoffed. "You didn't create 'La Resistance'! _Marco_ did!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I suppose I simply remember things differently..." said Ruberiot.

"You mean you remember things _wrong_!" exclaimed Fool Duke.

The crowd mumbled words of confusion, Jerkius quietly cleared his throat and motioned with his hands for the Announcers to move on. From wherever they were, Fool Duke and Ruberiot seemed to get the message.

"A-... Anyway! It's time for our fighters to select their weapons... SQUIRE! WHEEL OUT THE WEAPONS!" bellowed Fool Duke, directly into her microphone. The speakers squeaked and whined under the power of her voice, causing the audience to wince and clutch their ears.

Another Squire suddenly made his way into the battlefield from the same entrance that Jerkius walked in through. The Squire was pushing a wooden cart filled with weapons of all shapes and sizes. There were several large swords, axes, hammers, spears and even a range of crossbows. The Squire stopped the cart directly behind Jerkius, and took a moment to cough and wheeze as he wiped a pool of sweat from his forehead.

Jerkius quickly spun around and ignored the Squire as he quietly rifled through all of the weapons. Eventually, he retrieved a long golden sword and lifted it into the air. The lights of the arena gave the golden sword a majestic sparkle, and the crowd immediately launched into another loud cheer.

"Oh, my! That appears to be the very sword that Sir Jerkius used to slay a magical dragon just a few years ago! Notice the intricate detail on the blade, and the dark purple handle... It is said that this golden sword was crafted by one of the first Queens of Mewni, whose name has been lost to time!" exclaimed Ruberiot.

"Huh. I didn't expect you to know that... Then again, I don't expect you to know anything, so it's no wonder I'm so surprised." said Fool Duke.

"Oh, I happen to know quite a lot. That's what happens when you take the time to read a book or two, instead of spending all your time telling fart jokes and juggling rubber chickens!" growled Ruberiot.

"..."

There was a brief pause, followed quickly by a nervous chuckle from Fool Duke.

"Come on, Mime! That was just playful banter! There's no need to hold the mallet that way..." said Fool Duke.

"Y-yes... Look, see! I'm fine. Everything's fine. Okay?" muttered Ruberiot.

"..."

Both Fool Duke and Ruberiot breathed a sigh of relief, as Jerkius swung his sword out in front of him. With a satisfied nod, he turned to face Marco. "...You should know... This battle... It will be by far the most painful experience of your short life." he said. "But- I am a merciful man. If you would just get down on your knees, and begs for forgiveness... Then, I may very well allow you to live."

Marco walked past Jerkius without saying a word. Jerkius quietly growled as he watched Marco walk away from him, and towards one side of the arena. At one point, Jerkius thought that he was about to make a break for it. Which would have made him very happy. But instead, Marco came to a stop in front of one of the tall metal walls that surrounded the battlegrounds, and slowly craned his neck upwards.

He was standing just below the VIP area.

"...Hey, Kelly." said Marco, with an awkward wave. Above, Kelly blushed lightly as she quickly cleared her throat and leaned over the guardrail to greet Marco with an awkward wave of her own.

"H-hey... Nice boxers..." she muttered. There was a deeply awkward moment of silence between the two of them, as they both blushed and avoided eye contact.

"...Sorry. That was weird." said Kelly.

"N-no, it's... Don't worry about it." said Marco.

Kelly quietly cleared her throat, ignoring the curious glances from the young royals. "...So, what's up?" she asked, doing her best to keep her voice as even as possible.

Marco smiled a little. "Oh, you know... Just preparing for a good ol' fashioned Death Match." he said.

Kelly returned his smile. "Oh, I see... So, the usual then." she said.

Marco nodded. "Yeah. The usual."

The two friends shared a laugh, as they felt the awkwardness between them quickly dissipated.

"So, what can I do for you, Marco Ubaldo Diaz? Shouldn't you be picking a weapon or something?" asked Kelly.

"Well, actually... That's kinda why I came over here. You remember how we stopped by my room to pick up my cape on the way here?" asked Marco.

Kelly nodded.

"Well, while we were there- I also asked you to carry something in your hair... Just in case I needed it. And- well... Now, I think I do. Need it, I mean." said Marco.

Kelly thought for a moment and then blinked. "...You mean your gauntlets? You're gonna use _those_?" she asked.

Marco nodded.

"Ah- I'm afraid that it is against the rules to change your armor once you have entered the ring..." said Lavabo, as he got up from his seat and joined Kelly at the guard rail.

"Oh, I won't be using them as armor. They'll be my weapons." said Marco.

Lavabo raised an eyebrow, and slowly stroked his beard. "...I see. The rules do make certain allowances for outside weapons... But only if they are inspected and certified by at least two Royal Knights." explained Lavabo. "Which means that Jerkius and I will have to inspect them, first."

Marco nodded. "Okay. No problem." he said.

Kelly plunged her hand into her hair and retrieved the gauntlets. Since the big confrontation with Libraria in the Diaz families backyard, Marco had only used the gauntlets during sparring sessions with Kelly. They were both covered in dozens of scratches, courtesy of Kelly's broadsword.

Kelly quietly handed the gauntlets to Lavabo, and Lavabo carefully studied them for a few minutes before giving a satisfied nod. "I see no secret runes inscribed either inside or outside... These appear to be a rather ordinary set of silver gauntlets... Did you perhaps purchase them at Quest Buy?" he asked.

Kelly nodded.

"I see. Well, I see no reason not to let you use these..." said Lavabo, before dropping the gauntlets into Marco's waiting arms. "Of course... It is required that Sir Jerkius give them an inspection of his own..."

Marco nodded and made his way over to Jerkius. Jerkius gave an angry huff as he snatched the gauntlets out of Marco's arms and gave them a quick once-over. "...Cheap metal outside with a cheap magical cushioning material on the inside..." he muttered. "I see no tricks... No runes... Nothing special whatsoever. They would appear to match their owner quite perfectly." he said, before tossing the gauntlets to the ground.

"Very well. If you insist, you may use your little gauntlets as your weapons." said Jerkius.

Marco nodded, and quietly picked up his gauntlets and began to put them on. Both gauntlets fit over his hands and forearms and were fastened into place by long leather straps. As Marco quietly tightened the straps and fiddled with a few metal clips to keep them in place, the speakers suddenly burst to life.

"Alright! It looks like both sides are ready to go! SQUIRE! WHEEL THE REST OF THE WEAPONS BACK AND THEN FLIP THE SWITCH TO CLOSE THE METAL DOORS!" bellowed Fool Duke.

Ruberiot gave a weary sigh. "...You know... You are speaking into a device that was made to amplify your voice... There is no need to yell into it..." he muttered.

Fool Duke scoffed. "I know that." she muttered.

The Squire hurriedly disappeared into the metal door behind Jerkius, dragging the weapons cart along behind him. As soon as he was gone, the metal doors on both sides of the battle area began to rise from the dirt.

Jerkius and Marco made their way back to the center of the battle area and stood in front of each other.

"Now! Are both fighters ready to begin!?" yelled Fool Duke.

Jerkius gave a small nod, and Marco did the same.

"OKAY! THEN! LET'S BEGIN IN _THREE_!" bellowed Fool Duke.

As soon as Fool Duke began to count down, she was quickly joined by Ruberiot, along with the entire crowd

" _TWO_!"

Kelly clenched her teeth and glanced over at Lavabo, who simply offered her a reassuring smile.

" _ONE_!"

The Young Royals exchanged nervous glances and took a deep breath.

"FIGHT!"

* * *

As Higgs stood in front of Butterfly Castle, she was filled with a sense of awe and dread. As if to match her mood, a cold, ominous breeze swept through the land. The castle was bathed in the brilliant glow of Mewni's twin moons, making it seem to sparkle throughout the night.

Butterfly Castle was made up of several towers, all clustered together. All varying in height and width. Upon closer inspection, it was rather easy to tell which towers were new additions. All of the new ones sported a fresh coat of paint, no cracks or imperfections, and stood just a little bit taller than all the rest. The older towers were a little smaller, their colors had faded, and some of them appeared to be falling apart.

Altogether, Butterfly Castle was utterly enormous. It dwarfed the town that surrounded it, and it was the biggest castle in all of Mewni. No doubt a reflection of just how powerful the Butterfly name truly was. According to legend, one of the very first settlers of Mewni had been a Butterfly. And supposedly, it had been a Butterfly who was responsible for splitting up the land into various Kingdoms.

The Butterfly's were regarded as some of the most powerful figures in Mewman history, and their legacy lived on even now. Every child in every kingdom had heard the tale of Moon the Undaunted. And there were already stories being told about the so-called 'Rebel Princess', Star Butterfly.

Higgs had heard only a few of those stories, and most of them seemed a little hard to believe. What she _did_ believe, was that the Royal Butterfly family were the last people in all of Mewni that one would want to make an enemy of.

And she was about to break into their castle.

'...I-... I can't believe I'm doing this...' she thought, with a frown. 'This is all that idiot Marco's fault... Barging into the Royal Knights meeting room... Getting me in trouble... Getting _himself_ in trouble... And now I gotta find the princess and have her help bail him out...'

Higgs breathed a heavy, frustrated sigh. '...I'm never gonna let that guy hear the end of this. If I get caught and executed, I'm gonna make a pact with a demon straight away and haunt him 'till the bitter end...'

Higgs grumbled angrily to herself as she approached the castle's entrance. She had already managed to make her way through the castle gates by climbing over them. Which meant that she had probably already done enough to land her in the dungeon for the rest of her life. As she approached the castle's entrance, she quietly and desperately hoped that she would find a familiar face standing guard. If it were one of the royal guards that she knew, or one who was friends with Sir Stabby, then there was a good chance that everything would go over smoothly.

She could just approach the guard, tell them that she had a message for the princess, and be escorted to her without much resistance.

But if it was a guard that was unfamiliar to her- or worse, one of Jerkius' followers, then she would have to do things the hard way. And unfortunately, the hard way would take more time and carry an even greater risk. She knew that the big 'duel' between Marco and Jerkius had probably started by now. Which meant that she only had a small window of time to find the princess before Marco was killed and she lost her squireship forever.

Higgs sighed. Despite her misgivings toward Marco, she didn't want to see him get killed. And losing her squireship would be nothing short of devastating. She had worked so hard, for so long. Enduring harsh treatment and training, along with the attitudes of some of the knights and squires who believed her to be unworthy of knighthood due to her background. Not all of the knights and squires thought that way- just enough to make her life a little bit harder.

Higgs gently shook her head. 'Focus.' she told herself. 'You gotta get your head in the game... Or else you really will lose _everything_...'

Higgs drew a deep breath and felt another cold breeze sweep across her face. After taking a moment to calm her nerves as best she could, Higgs focused her attention on the guard standing by the entrance. The torchlight that the guard was standing in was very dim, making it difficult to make out any facial features. Higgs frowned a little, as she approached the guard, moving as quietly as possible.

Eventually, she drew close enough to make out a small crest on the guard's chest plate. A golden letter 'J', with a small crown on it. Higgs rolled her eyes a little. Why did Jerkius' followers insist on identifying themselves like that? Moreover- did they not think they were going to get in trouble eventually, when it was found out that they were professing their loyalty to a Royal Knight over the Queen herself?

'I wonder why the Queen hasn't cracked down on that yet...' thought Higgs. '...I guess maybe it's a political thing... After all, even the Queen has to show some measure of respect for Mewni's legendary heroes... Even the jerk ones...'

Holding her breath, Higgs quietly retreated back down the pathway. Once she was out of earshot, she released her breath and muttered a curse along with it.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to do things the hard way..." she muttered. "...Story of my life..."

Doing her best to keep her movements as quiet as possible, Higgs broke away from the path and made her way towards the tall stone walls that surrounded the castle. Once she had made it, she followed the wall around the castle. She found herself creeping along for quite awhile, until she heard the sound of voices approaching in the distance. Higgs instantly froze, and desperately looked around for someplace to hide.

Her eyes finally on a nearby bush. Moving as quickly as she could without making any noise, she crept over to the bush and leaped inside. Naturally, she had failed to notice all of the thick red thorns jutting out in every direction. Higgs had to quickly slap her hands over her mouth in order to muffle a pained scream.

As the voices approached, Higgs quietly ran through every curse word she could think of as she did her best to remain still and not make any noise. From the distance, two guards approached. One holding a torch, while the other held an enormous halberd.

"See, I dunno... The whole thing seems kinda melodramatic to me. And a little self-indulgent. And it just goes on, and on, and on... It's like- okay, we get it- you can write a lot. But how about you take a minute to pause and consider whether what your writing is even any _good_. I mean- hasn't he ever heard of quality over quantity?" asked one guard.

"...Yeah, I kinda have to agree. I really don't think anyone needed Ruberiot to write a whole book about that whole 'Song Day' incident. I mean- the whole riot thing really had nothin' to do with him. I don't know why he thought everyone'd be excited to read _his_ perspective on things... Although, I will say- all of those handwritten excerpts taken from what the princess told him about her 'best friend'... Those were really adorable." said the other.

"The crazy thing is, most of those are in _her_ handwriting! Can you imagine writing all that stuff about... Well... Anyone? She must've really been in love with that kid." said the first guard.

"Well, yeah- I mean, it was a part of the song, right?" asked the second guard.

"Yeah... I will say this about Ruberiot... He did a really awesome job on that song. I just don't know why he had to capitalize on the whole incident with that book... And guess what? I hear he's writing _another_ one. Supposedly, it'll be about what he did during the whole 'rat invasion' thing..." said the first guard.

"What 'rat invasion' thing? I didn't hear about that-... Y-you... You're not sayin' that there are _rats_ around here, are you?" asked the second guard.

"Well, not anymore..." said the first guard. "Also- are you tryin' to tell me that you don't remember that time the kingdom was overthrown by a little green guy and his army of rats? It was only, like, over a year ago..."

"...I think I musta been on vacation then." said the second guard. "And I'm glad, too. Little green guys I can handle- but rats? No way."

There was a brief moment of silence of silence between the two figures that had been talking, and for a moment- Higgs wondered if they had spotted her. Finally, one of the guards spoke up once more.

"Anyway- you wanna know what the title of the next Ruberiot book is gonna be?" asked the first guard.

"...Sure. The first one was what... 'A Songstrall's Passion: The Story of a Princess and the Song Day Riot'... Right?" asked the second guard.

"Yeah, that's right. Supposedly, the second one'll be called 'A Songstrall's Defiance: The Tale of La Resistance'." said the first guard.

"...Huh. Y'know, the title's not so bad. I mean, it seems kinda interesting at least..." said the second guard.

"Yeah, well... Let's just wait and see if the second one is as bad as the first..." muttered the first guard.

As the guards finally passed by and as their voices faded in the distance, Higgs breathed a long sigh of relief. As she made her way out of the bush, she muttered a few more curses as she plucked a few thorns out of her skin. Clenching her teeth, Higgs continued to follow the wall in the opposite direction to where the guards were headed.

Eventually, she stopped when she noticed one of the nearby towers. It was an older looking tower, with faded colors and a series of tiny chips and cracks running down its surface. Looking up, Higgs noticed an open window near the top of the tower. Higgs paused for a moment, as she seemed to lose herself in thought. Eventually, she slowly approached the tower and placed her hand on it. After taking another moment to think, she produced a knife from her belt and stabbed it into the surface. The knife embedded itself pretty nicely, and while removing it took a little bit of effort on her part, she seemed satisfied with it.

Higgs took a deep breath and nodded. She had made her decision. With a knife in one hand, she used her free hand to retrieve another. Then, she proceeded to embed one knife into the surface of the tower, pull herself up a bit, and then embed the other knife. As she felt her feet leave the ground, Higgs felt a bead of sweat run down her forehead.

Feeling her feet leave the ground, she grit her teeth as she continued to climb her way up the tower with her knives.

'...Alright... This is-... This is good...' she thought. 'I've got a way in... Well, almost, anyway... Let's just hope that Marco can hold on until I make it back with the Princess...'

* * *

A flash of movement.

A flicker of gold in his peripheral vision.

Marco clenched his teeth and crossed his arms over his head. The sound of metal meeting metal filled the air, as Jerkius' golden blade swung downward and met with the surface of Marco's gauntlets. Marco felt his knees threaten to buckle under the force of the blow, but he pushed through it.

The crowd roared in excitement, as Jerkius slowly withdrew his sword. "...Well, well... Looks like you've survived the very first attack..." said Jerkius, his voice low and emotionless. "...I wonder how you'll do with the rest..."

"Woo! Startin' things off with a bang! Jerkius sprang into action right away, but it seems he wasn't quite quick enough to catch Marco off guard!" exclaimed Fool Duke, through the speakers.

The crowd continued to cheer, as Jerkius calmly walked around Marco in a circle and inspected his sword. "...Hmm. No chips. No dents." he muttered. "...Good. I'm glad that those cheap little things your wearing aren't strong enough to damage my equipment. Wouldn't want to waste a perfectly good sword on the likes of you, after all."

Marco sighed. "...Wow. You must really love to hear yourself talk..." he muttered.

Jerkius chuckled. "Oh, but I do. After all, my voice is quite lovely, if I do say so myself..." he said. "Smooth and deep... Unlike the pubescent squeaky toy _you_ speak with."

Marco rolled his eyes. "...You know, I feel like you'd be more at home in one of my cheesy action movies. Or maybe an old TV show with cheap, rubber costumes and poorly written dialogue..." he said. "Of course- even shows like that have _standards_..."

Jerkius seemed to scoff. "You do realize that I won't be able to recognize any references to Earth's pop-culture... _Correct_?" he asked.

Marco shrugged. "It really doesn't matter if you understand what I'm saying, Jerkius. I've got a feeling that nothing I could say would get through to you..." he said, as he slowly took a karate stance. "And sadly... I'm probably not gonna be able to punch any sense into you either... But at the very least... I can make you apologize to the child you hurt..."

"That child was monster scum." growled Jerkius. "And the only thing worse than them... Are the traitors who side with them."

"Uh-huh. Whatever." said Marco. "Look- Can we just get this over with? I've got stuff I need to do tonight..."

Jerkius gave a low chuckle. "Perhaps it would be wise not to make any plans for the future just yet..." he said.

Marco took a deep breath. There was a chill in the air. The dirt felt rough under his feet and the entire arena seemed to quake under the cheers of the crowd. Marco breathed out slowly, as he did his best to focus all of his attention on the shining, golden knight standing in front of him. Jerkius took a step closer to him, and Marco immediately snapped back into a fighting pose.

Jerkius chuckled again, as he held his sword in one hand and kept his other by his side. There was a moment of silence between them. Then, in a golden blur of movement, Jerkius swung his sword from the side. Marco grit his teeth and moved his hand as quickly as he could, blocking the strike with his left gauntlet. As the sword made contact the silver surface, sparks flew up into the air. Marco was given no time to breathe. As soon as the sword made contact with his gauntlet, it was quickly withdrawn and then swung around from the other side. Marco blocked this swipe with his right gauntlet, only to quickly find himself blocking once again with his right.

Sparks flew in all directions, as Jerkius' sword was blocked once again with Marco's gauntlets. Jerkius swung his sword from one side, and then another. For the first few strikes, he appeared to be purposely telegraphing his movements. Going from one side to the other in an almost rhythmic pattern. This continued for a little while, and then Jerkius' began to swing his sword from in a few other directions. Each swing was blocked, and Jerkius chuckled to himself as he slowly increased the speed of his swings. Very soon, it felt to Marco like Jerkius' golden sword was coming in from all directions at once. Marco moved his hands quicker than ever before as he met the blade every angle.

Marco did his best to breath through clenched teeth he moved his hands in a silver blur, to match the golden blur of Jerkius' sword. Sparks flew in every direction, and Marco focused everything he had into moving his hands. Everything else seemed to fade into the background.

His heart was beating so hard against his chest that it hurt. But he ignored it.

The force of Jerkius' sword strikes were making his arms and hands go numb underneath the gauntlets. But he ignored it.

Jerkius was silent, as he continued to swing his sword around with only one hand. Keeping his other arm still and by his side at all times.

"Sweet corn on the cob! Look at that speed! I can't believe that Marco's keepin' up with that!" exclaimed Fool Duke, as the audience cheered on the action.

"Yes, but... It would appear that Sir Jerkius is merely toying with him..." muttered Ruberiot. "And Marco is getting tired already..."

Marco didn't hear the sounds of the audience, nor the sounds of the announcers over the speakers. All he could hear were the constant 'clangs' of metal colliding with metal. Eventually, Jerkius drew his sword back and thrust it forward. Aiming the tip of his sword for Marco's chest. This sudden change in movement was enough to catch Marco off-guard momentarily, but he still managed to bring both his hands to his chest just in time to block the strike. Marco gave a short gasp, as he felt the end of Jerkius' sword meet with his gauntlets with enough force to knock him off his feet. Marco was sent reeling backward, and had to quickly turn it into a duck and roll in order to dodge another swipe aimed for his neck.

Marco rolled backward across the dirt, and then swiftly got back to his feet just in time to find himself forced to jump aside in order to avoid another sword thrust from Jerkius. As Jerkius transitioned from sword swipes to thrusts, Kelly watched the battle from the VIP area in total silence. All of her attention was focused on the fight. The young royals were cheering loudly, and Lavabo made a few impressed noises as he casually stroked his beard. Demonicus had stopped snoring a few minutes ago, but she remained perfectly still.

Marco moved from one side to the other as best he could, narrowly avoiding sword thrusts. As they began to pick up in speed, Marco clenched his teeth as he struggled to think. Then, an idea popped up in his head and he sprung into action without a moments notice. Another sword thrust came his way, and Marco moved backward- narrowly avoiding it. As Jerkius drew his sword back, Marco instantly snapped into another fighting pose. He had no time to think about what he was doing- he just did it.

As Jerkius thrust his sword forward again, Marco gave a primal yell- and met the tip of Jerkius' sword with his fist. The forces connected with an incredible bang, as the force of Marco's punch canceled the force of the thrust and pushed it back. This was enough to stun Jerkius for only the briefest of moments- but it was enough. In the blink of an eye, Marco had closed in on him, wound his other fist back and punched square in the face of his helmet. There was a loud crunching sound as Jerkius' faceplate crumpled around Marco's fist. Jerkius reeled backward, and Marco wasted no time in winding back his fist and, in a silver blur of motion, landing another punch directly into Jerkius' chest plate. Then, another. And another.

"RAAARGH!" bellowed Marco, as he pummelled Jerkius' chestplate as hard and as quickly as he could. Jerkius' golden, jewel-encrusted chestplate cracked and bent under the force as Marco unleashed a flurry of punches in the same area. Then, Marco shifted his footing as best he could and, while Jerkius appeared stunned, Marco wound his fist back and gave out yet another primal scream as he launched his fist into the face of Jerkius' helmet one more time, with all the force he could muster.

Jerkius stumbled backward, as the cheering audience slowly grew quiet.

Marco was breathing heavily as he held his fists out in front of him in a fighting pose. Sweat was pouring down his body, as his cape fluttered behind him.

Jerkius quickly regained his footing, and let out a primal scream of his own as he launched himself forward and swung his sword down on Marco like a hammer. Marco grit his teeth, and closed the distance between them himself. Moving quickly, Marco stepped slightly to the side and avoided the blade of the sword, before moving in closer and grabbing Jerkius by the arm. Then, in one fluid motion, Marco used Jerkius' forward momentum to his advantage and flipped him into the air and slammed him into the ground. The sound of the impact echoed throughout the arena and sent a thick cloud of dust into the air.

As the dust settled, the arena fell completely silent. Marco wiped the sweat off his face with his cape and took a few shallow breaths. His entire body was buzzing with adrenaline, and his heart was beating so hard that it threatened to burst from his chest. Marco took a few steps back as did his best to calm himself down.

"...Woah... H-... HOLY MOTHER OF CORN! JERKIUS IS DOWN!" exclaimed Fool Duke. Her voice, amplified through the speakers, was loud enough to snap some of the audience out of their awe inspired stupor. There was scattered applause among the crowd, while others frowned and muttered to themselves.

Kelly leaned against the guardrail and cupped her hand around her mouth. "WAY TO GO, MARCO!" she bellowed. "YOU CAN DO THIS! SHOW EVERYONE WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!"

Marco blinked a few times, and turned to face her. Kelly rose her hands into the air and cheered. And she was quickly followed by Prince Johanson, Rich Pidgeon, Princess Spiderbite, 'Gel' and Lavabo. They all grouped together and cheered his name. Demonicus slowly rose her fist in solidarity, but she remained in her chair.

Marco felt a blush creep up to his face, as he watched the enthusiasm emanating from the VIP area quickly spread to the rest of crowd. Very quickly, more and more audience members began to loudly applaud and cheer. However, among the audience, there remained a few sour faces. Many of them were royal knights, still dressed in their armor but lacking their helmets. The most sour looking of the knights were wearing small golden crests on their chest plates.

As the cheers continued, Jerkius slowly rose up from the dirt. His helmet was mangled, and his chest plate had been cracked and dented all over. Marco took a deep breath and took a fighting stance as he focused all of his attention back on to his opponent.

Jerkius gave a low chuckle. This one much deeper than before, and brimming with malice. "Well... It would seem... That you've taken me by surprise..." he muttered. As he spoke, he briefly paused between every few words in order to keep the intense rage that was twisting around inside of him from leaking out.

It wasn't working.

"I suppose, then... I've no choice... I-... I'll have to kill you now." said Jerkius, his voice overflowing with a powerful malice. "I'm sure... The Princess... Will be disappointed... But-... I'm sure she can find another Squire..."

Marco remained silent and held his fighting stance. A cool breeze swept across the battlefield, picking up some of the dust and dirt into the air and causing Marco's cape to flutter behind him. Jerkius gave a low growl, as he held his golden sword out in front of him. Marco frowned a little, as he heard Jerkius start to mutter something under his breath. Then, Jerkius gripped the handle of his sword with both hands and slid his armored feet across the dirt as he took a stance of his own. Holding the handle of his sword up to the side of his face and keeping the tip of the blade aimed directly at Marco, Jerkius bent his knees ever so slightly as he prepared to launch himself forward at any moment.

Marco slowly opened and closed his fists, and drew a deep breath.

Jerkius closed the distance between them in almost an instant and gave a loud roar as he swung his sword down at Marco. Marco barely managed to step aside in time to avoid the blade. His cape wasn't so lucky, as Jerkius' blade cut through a portion of it before crashing into the dirt. More dirt was flung into the air, and the combination of the dust and his mangled helmet made it difficult for Jerkius to see. Still, he moved without hesitation- pulling his sword from the dirt swiping the cloud of dust with enough force to make it disperse.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though Marco had disappeared. Then- Jerkius noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. He moved to lunge at it- but it was already too late. There was a resounding crunch as Marco's fist met with his helmet once again. This time, however, Jerkius had better footing and did not stumble. Instead, he roared as he swung his sword at Marco from the side, and once again Marco had to scramble to meet the blade with his gauntlets. The force of the impact to his gauntlets sent Marco flying backward, and he had to twist his body around in mid-air in order to catch a sudden sword thrust from Jerkius with his gauntlets. The force of this extra impact sent Marco flying backward even further, right into the metal wall behind him. He slammed into the wall with his back, the force of the impact causing his neck to jerk backward and slam the back of his head into the wall as well.

All of his senses were rattled, as a small trickle of blood was left pouring from the back of his head. Unfortunately, he had no time to regain his senses. There was a golden blur of movement in front of him, and, moving almost entirely by instinct, Marco twisted himself to the side and avoided a powerful sword thrust that left Jerkius' sword embedded almost all the way into the metal wall.

As Jerkius struggled to pull the sword out of the wall, Marco took the opportunity to land another punch directly into Jerkius helmet. This time, the force of the punch made Jerkius stumble slightly to the side. With a frustrated growl, Jerkius gripped the handle of his sword with one hand, and swiped at Marco with the other. Marco quickly caught Jerkius' free hand and twisted it around. Jerkius hissed in pain, and then gave another growl as he struggled to pull his free hand out of Marco's grip, while simultaneously trying to free his sword with his other hand.

Marco twisted Jerkius' arm even further, and then held it to the side while unleashing a flurry of one-handed punches to Jerkius' head. There was a sickening crunch as the metal from Jerkius' helmet crumpled and cracked under the force of each blow. Pieces of his helmet were forces into his skin, causing small trickles of blood to start flying in all directions.

Jerkius gave a thunderous roar as he pulled against both Marco and the sword. When the sword finally came loose, Jerkius was sent stumbling slightly backward before swinging the sword around at Marco. Marco quickly let go of Jerkius' arm before ducking to avoid Jerkius' sword and then rolling backward to create some distance between them. As Marco scrambled back to his feet, Jerkius seemed to go still.

"...I've let this farce go on for too long..." he muttered, as he slowly drew his sword up to his helmet. "It's time I ended this..."

Marco took a few shallow breaths, as he watched Jerkius start to whisper something to his sword. As he spoke, a small symbol appeared on the blade of his sword. Followed by another, and another. Each one was shaped like a letter from an ancient language. Marco frowned a little, as the symbols spread across the golden blade. He was sure he recognized them from somewhere... But the details seemed lost to him.

As he watched the symbols on Jerkius' sword begin to glow, Marco's frown deepened. All of his memory's felt like a blur. But as he thought deeper into it, he felt a small spark somewhere in the back of his mind. And suddenly, a memory flashed before his eyes. A memory of a small white room covered on all sides with golden symbols. The same room where he had his first encounter with Libraria.

"Woah! Jerkius has started using magic! This is crazy!" exclaimed Fool Duke, her voice only barely cutting through the raucous cheers of the crowd.

"...Yes, it is..." muttered Ruberiot. "And it is very bad news for Marco..."

Jerkius chuckled, as he held his golden sword into the air. The symbols on the sword began to glow bright enough that it was difficult to look at directly. Marco winced and squinted as he watched golden flames begin to envelop the blade. The flames began to rise into the air and crackle loudly. The ground began to tremble as the flames grew higher and higher, until they eventually formed the head of a dragon.

The audience loudly cheered as the head of the dragon rose into the air, dragging behind it a long serpent-like body. The dragon was made out of crackling, golden fire and it shone so brightly that it was impossible to really make out any of its features. All that Marco could really make out were a series of large horns jutting out of its head and running down the length of its body, along with some long, jagged teeth. The dragon's body curled around is it rose higher into the air.

"This is the soul of a magic dragon." said Jerkius, with a small chuckle. "Try punching _this_."

Marco sighed, as he stood in fighting stance once again. "...Sure. Okay." he muttered.

The dragons head gave a deafening roar, before lunging down at Marco like a snake. Marco jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the dragons head as it crashed into the ground. As the dragons head pulled itself out of the dirt, Marco quickly scrambled back to his feet and ran. The powerful heat emanating from its fiery body was enough to leave a charred crater in its wake. Marco clenched his teeth as he felt the dragons head follow close behind. His cape fluttered behind him, and as the dragons head drew closer, the end of his cape began to singe and burn.

Marco ran as fast as he could, all the way to the other side of the arena. Once he had reached the wall on the other side, he took a quick left turn. The dragons head was sent crashing into the metal wall just after his turn, and exploded in an enormous golden fireball. As he ran, Marco glanced over his shoulder just in time to watch the dragons head reform itself and turn to face him. Marco gave a weary sigh as the dragons head rose higher into the air, and then lunged at him. Marco clenched his teeth as he felt the dragons head quickly close in on him. As he ran, Marco lifted his arm into the air to block the dragons strike. He had expected to be rammed by it- and couldn't suppress a surprised yelp when he felt the dragon's mouth catch his gauntlet protected arm and yank him into the air.

Keeping its hold on Marco's arm, the dragon lifted him up and then swung him down- slamming him into the dirt. Then, it swung itself to the side and slammed him into a metal wall. There were several sick cracks and snaps upon each impact. Then, the dragons head snapped upward and flung him far into the air. The audience alternately cheered and gasped as they watched him fly up until he bounced off the ceiling.

Kelly screamed as she watched Marco's bloody form fall through the air. Below, the firey dragons head opened its mouth- as if it were prepared to swallow him whole.

Marco's entire body was limp and flooded with incredible pain. The gauntlet that the dragons head had caught was charred and melted, and the rest of his body hadn't fared much better. He had at least two broken ribs, and the rest of his bones had been bent and bruised severely. His chest was covered in scrapes, courtesy of his contact with the dirt. And he also had a few more scrapes along his side and on his feet. Sliding and rolling around on the coarse dirt without wearing any kind of protection had not been a particularly bright idea. Luckily, his cape had least provided a small amount of protection in that regard.

As he Marco fell through the air, his eyes fluttered open and closed. As he stared down at the fiery dragon's maw, he felt a wave of helplessness. Along with the temptation to simply close his eyes and embrace the inevitable.

'No.'

Marco clenched his fists and his teeth.

"No." he muttered.

Time began to slow. And everything around him faded to black.

* * *

The hallways of Butterfly Castle were a complicated labyrinth, lined with a vast array of statues and portraits. It was quite similar to the halls of the Royal Knights Headquarters- only a lot more... Regal. Unfortunately, Higgs didn't really have time to stop and observe her surroundings, as she was currently being chased by a savage monster.

Several of them, actually.

Higgs muttered a long line of curses under her breath as she ran down the halls. A cacophony of playful yipping sounds followed close behind. Higgs ducked down and rolled across the floor, narrowly avoiding a barrage of lasers. As she scrambled back to her feet, the laser puppies continued to bound towards her- making a series of excited barking and yipping noises before they unleashed yet another barrage of lasers. The lasers went off in every direction, leaving burn marks all across the walls, the ceiling and the floor.

Several paintings and curtains had already been ruined by the passing onslaught of lasers, and it was getting more and more likely that they were going to set the entire castle on fire as they chased the intruder.

Higgs clenched her teeth. 'Where did these things come from?' she thought, as she made a sharp turn into yet another corridor and ran as fast as she could. Glancing behind her, she watched as the puppies chased after her- their cute little faces brimming with enthusiasm as they bounded towards her. 'Are they some kinda new-fangled security system from Quest Buy?' thought Higgs. '...Or... Or are they just a bunch of weird... 'Laser-pets'?'

Higgs hissed in pain as she felt a few stray lasers hit her in the back, adding to the series of smoldering burn marks scattered across her Squires uniform. Higgs shot the puppies a dirty look, which only seemed to make them even more excited. 'Either way... They're a lot more dangerous than they look...' she thought.

As if to prove her point, a few of the puppies crashed into a tall suit of decorative armor that had been standing against the wall. The puppies quickly surrounded it, and began to growl as they tore at the metal with their teeth. A few others hung back to shoot lasers at the armor until it began to melt under the heat.

Higgs shuddered a little, as the few remaining laser puppies continued to give chase. Eventually, she turned another corner and noticed a big door nearby, covered in a mess of glitter and stickers. Higgs gave a short gasp. She had patrolled the halls of Butterfly Castle only a few times before, alongside Sir Stabby. And there was only one door in the entire building that looked like that.

The Princess' bedroom.

Without thinking, Higgs raced for the door and yanked at the handle. The door opened without any trouble, and Higgs quickly raced inside and slammed the door behind her. Leaning against the door, she held her breath as she listened to the sounds of the puppies yipping excitedly on the other side. For a moment, she wondered if they were about to break down the door and continue the chase.

Higgs breathed a slow sigh of relief, as she heard the sounds of the puppies slowly fade into the distance.

"...I lost them..." she muttered. "...If I never have to see those things again, it'll be too soon."

Breathing another heavy sigh, Higgs took a moment to collect herself. It was hard to tell how much time had passed since she had first crawled her way into the castle through a window, but she guessed that it had been over an hour. "...I wonder if Marco's been cut to pieces yet..." she muttered. "...He'd better _not_ have... If he had, I just know I'll wind up getting blamed for it somehow... Then, not only will I have lost my Squireship... But I'll have an angry Princess to deal with..."

Higgs frowned a little and shook her head. Hoping to find something to keep her mind off the feeling of impending doom, she turned her attention to the room she was standing in. The Princess' bedroom was much bigger than the Squire's barracks, and there was even a set of stairs that appeared to lead up to a second floor. Higgs rolled her eyes as she took a few steps further into the room.

The room was in complete disarray. With various items of all kinds spread all across the floor. Some were even stuck to walls. There were empty pizza boxes, piles of fuzzy plush toys, bear traps, maces, swords, big fluffy dresses, piles of board games...

'This... This is crazy...' she thought. '...I can't believe that the princess just has all of this stuff just lying around... When I was a kid, I would've killed for just one lil' Fluff Bear... Or even just a real sword to practice with...'

Higgs sighed. "...She's probably gone her whole life getting whatever she wants..." she muttered. "...I guess this is what happens when you draw the lucky straw in terms of life... She's probably never even had to go to bed hungry before..."

Higgs carefully stepped over a pile of sugar covered burrito's and demonic video games as she made her way over to the Princesses bed. It was enormous, and more comfortable looking than any bed that Higgs had ever seen. Of course, it was also covered in a mess of magazines, glitter and, for some reason, a disco ball. Higgs carefully picked up a few of the magazines to make room for herself, and then sat down.

Even just sitting on it, the bed felt more comfortable than anything she had ever come across. Higgs had spent most of her life sleeping on mattresses filled with hay and mud, and the beds in the Squires' barracks weren't much better. The Princess' mattress, on the other hand, felt like sitting on a cloud. A messy cloud, yes- but a cloud nonetheless.

Higgs breathed a small sigh as she placed the magazines on her lap and flipped through them half-heartedly. Higgs had taught herself how to read some time ago, but she had only really grasped the basics, and it didn't exactly come easily to her. Sir Stabby had promised to teach her further, but so far that hadn't happened. Higgs had even gone so far as to purchase a few books of her own with her meager savings, in the hopes of reading them someday. Those books were currently gathering dust under her bunk.

Still, she could recognize some of the words in the magazine. Just enough for her to tell that they were all the same 'Teen' magazines that some of her fellow Squire's read in their off-time. Covered in glossy headlines about young pop stars, and articles promising 'perfect dating advice'. Higgs rolled her eyes a little. Many of the magazines appeared to be from different dimensions, and yet they all seemed exactly the same. Even the ones that appeared to be written in different languages.

Higgs lazily threw one magazine to the side and began to flip through another. She was about to throw this one to the side as well, when she noticed something about one of the articles. It appeared to have been circled several times with a multi-colored pen. Mildly curious, Higgs held the magazine a little closer to her face and squinted as she did her best to make out the words.

"...What to do... When... Your friend... Is feeling... Depressed..." she muttered, aloud. "...Huh. Something tells me this is about Marco... Unless the Princess has some _other_ sad-sack in her life..."

Higgs was just about to move on to the next magazine when an enormous pillar of fire suddenly burst into existence in the middle of the room. Then, almost as quickly as it appeared, it dissipated. Leaving Tom and Star standing in its place. Higgs' eyes widened and she quickly stood up- letting the magazines fall to the floor. 'O-oh _cornstarch_!' she thought. 'I-... I just broke into the Princesses royal quarters, didn't I!? People get _catapulted_ for that kinda thing!' With her reason suddenly overwhelmed by panic, Higgs quickly slid under the bed to hide.

Star and Tom laughed as they held each other in their arms and stumbled across the room. Higgs quietly peaked out from under the bed, and raised an eyebrow when she noticed how they were dressed. Tom was wearing a clean white jacket over a pink dress shirt, with matching white bellbottoms and pink dancing shoes. The collar of his jacket was flipped up, and the first three buttons of his shirt were open- revealing a good portion of his chest. His hair was puffed out into a large afro, making him look like some kind of disco demon.

Star was dressed in an oversized sparkling blue shirt and long black pants with fuzzy, rainbow-colored legwarmers. She was also wearing platform heels, a rainbow colored headband over her forehead, and comically large orange-tinted sunglasses. Her hair was curlier and frizzier than it usual, no doubt to go along with her 'disco' outfit.

Both Tom and Star were coated with a layer of sweat. Their clothes were disheveled, and their laughter felt almost delirious. Eventually, the laughter died down, and they both made their way over to Star's bed to sit down. Higgs held her breath, as she felt the mattress lower ever so slightly under their weight.

'Great... Now I'm stuck... _Corn-starch_...' she thought.

"Thanks for tonight, Tom. I had a blast." said Star, as she slid her oversized sunglasses off of her face.

Tom smiled. "Hey, no problem... I had fun too. Besides... You kinda looked like you needed a nice distraction." he said. There was a brief moment of silence between the young couple before Star let out a long, heavy sigh. "Yeah... I kinda did..." she muttered.

"...Are you... Are you ready to talk about it?" asked Tom, his voice quiet and brimming with concern.

Star offered him a soft smile. "...Yeah... But-... I mean... It's not-... It's not really that big of a deal..." she muttered.

Tom gently placed his hand on top of hers. "...It doesn't matter if its a 'big' deal, or a 'small' one... If there's something bothering you, then... Then I wanna help, however I can." he said.

"...Thanks, Tom." muttered Star.

As Tom and Star spent a moment staring deeply into each other's eyes, Higgs rubbed her temples and groaned inwardly. '...Oh, for corn's sake... What've I gotten myself into?...' she thought. '...Now I'm stuck listening to one of my top ten least favorite things... People talking about their _feelings_... Can't I just go back to being chased by those laser dogs? Getting torn apart sounds a whole lot more pleasant...'

"...So, I talked to Eclipsa today..." said Star.

At this, Higgs suddenly froze- and barely managed to choke back a gasp. '...Eclipsa... As in the _Queen of Darkness_ Eclipsa!?' she thought.

"Oh, yeah? Did she tell you anything this time?" asked Tom.

Star slowly shook her head. "...No. Not really... I mean- not about the whole 'true history of Mewni' thing, at least... We, uh... We kinda talked about something else..." she muttered. "...We, uh... We kinda talked about... Marco..."

"...Oh." muttered Tom, his voice barely audible.

"...I-... I told her... About what's been going on with him recently... About how distant he's been... And-... And about how... He still won't tell me... What's bothering him..." said Star. "I kinda unloaded a bunch of stuff onto her... Mostly about how frustrating he's been... And-... And how... It feels like I'm... Losing him..."

Tom clenched his teeth ever so slightly, as he did his best to keep the familiar surge of jealousy and frustration at bay. "...Did-... Did she... Say anything? I-... I mean... Did she have any suggestions... As to what might be bothering him?" he asked.

Star slowly shook her head. "...Not really... All she really said... Was that... Things were going to be okay..." she muttered.

Tom gave her hand a gentle squeeze. There were a lot of complicated emotions swirling around in his chest, but Tom did his best to push past them. "...I think she's right, Star." he said. "Things might be kinda... Tense... Right now... But-... But I know someday, he'll... He'll tell you the truth. And when he does..."

Tom's voice faded, as he felt a lump form in his throat.

Star gently squeezed his hand. "...I hope he does..." she muttered. "I-... I just want things to be... To be good. Like... The way they were." she muttered. "...I... I don't want to lose my best friend again..."

A long, heavy silence filled the air.

And in that moment, Higgs felt her eye start to twitch.

Just as Tom opened his mouth to say something else, Higgs suddenly slid out from under the bed- causing him to let out a high pitched shriek. Star yelped and quickly jumped on to her bed and pulled out her wand. "Intruder!" she exclaimed, as her wand began to glow with power.

Higgs quickly put her hands in the air. "Wait! Stop!" she exclaimed. "I- I'm here because of Marco!"

Star suddenly froze. "...Wha-... What?" she muttered.

Higgs breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the glow in Star's wand slowly dissipate.

"...He's in trouble." she said. "And... And he needs your help."

* * *

 _ **I was right about you.**_

 _Marco was silent, as he watched the creature slowly emerge from the abyss. A grotesque mass of tentacles and teeth squirming amongst themselves in a giant ball. Among the tentacles, small black slits began to open one after another, revealing dozens of dark purple eyes._

 _ **You are pathetic.**_

 _ **You always have been.**_

 _The squirming mass began to grow. Overtaking everything around him. Surrounding him. Smothering him._

 _ **That girl... You owe her so much... And yet... All you are capable of doing is disappointing her. You've done it countless times already...**_

 _The tentacles began to writhe all over him. It's teeth piercing his skin... Tearing him apart._

 _ **You have nothing. You are nothing.**_

 _ **You've nothing to offer that girl... Nothing to offer the people around you... Who have blessed you with their kindness...**_

 _ **They don't need you. None of them do. Especially not her...**_

 _ **And yet- That's what you want, isn't it? That's what you've always wanted... For her... To need you.**_

 _The pain quickly overwhelmed his senses. Leaving him profoundly numb._

 _ **How pathetic. How truly, deeply pathetic.**_

 _ **You came here... To this place... Hoping to be needed... And then... You were disappointed to find... That she doesn't need you. And never did. That realization... Along with the sudden understanding of your own capacity for selfishness... And foolishness... It sent you spiraling all the way here.**_

 _ **To me.**_

 _ **And now... It's about time I take back what's rightfully mine.**_

 _ **Don't worry, Marco Diaz. I will make a much better you than you ever could.**_

 _ **I mean... At the very least... I'll be a whole lot more fun.**_

 _Marco sighed._

"Are you finished, Monster Arm?"

 _The writhing tentacles suddenly paused._

 _ **Uh... What?**_

 _An explosion of light bathed everything around them in a soft glow. The tentacles shrank and hissed underneath the intense light._

 _A figure emerged from the light. Followed by another. And another._

 _Kelly._

 _Buff Frog._

 _The Buff Kids._

 _Mr and Mrs Diaz._

 _Even Janna._

 _And it didn't stop there. One by one, more and more figures emerged from the light. Friends and family from as far back as he could remember. Among the crowd of people were figures of Jackie Lynn Thomas. Alfonzo and Ferguson. Marco's Karate Sensei. Heckapoo. And Tom._

 _And finally... Star._

 _ **You... You would use other people to fight me away? Really? Are there no depths to which you will not sink? Are you really,**_ **truly** _ **this**_ **pathetic** _ **?**_

"Shut up, Monster Arm." _said Marco._ "...Look. My power... It comes from the people around me. By myself... I'm not that special. But my friends... They make me strong. They make me want to keep going... And I will. For them. And for me."

 _ **YOU**_ **-**

"Enough. I already know all that stuff. And I'll work on it, okay? Now go away. I've got a fight to wrap up..."

 _The mass of tentacles gave a high pitched scream as they whithered and dissipated into a cloud of smoke. Once they were gone, the figures of light approached him one by one. Each figure reached out a glowing hand and placed it upon his battered form._

 _A cacophony of voices filled the area. All of them saying the same thing..._

 _"Marco..."_

 _"You do have strength inside of you..."_

 _"And it's time..."_

 _"To bring it to the surface..."_

 _"All you have to do..."_

 _"Is dip down..."_

 _"And find it..."_

* * *

The sounds of cheers, gasps, and screams resounded throughout the arena as Marco fell through the air. Below, the head of a dragon made of fire waited with an open maw. Time slowed to a crawl, as Marco fell ever closer to a fiery demise.

Then, his eyes fluttered open. There was a flash of blinding light as Marco met the dragons head with his fist. The dragons head exploded, sending a sea of golden flames flying in all directions before quickly dissipating. This was followed by an impact that shook the arena to its core. Sending audience members reeling back in their seats as the battlefield cracked and crumbled below.

A massive cloud of dirt and debris filled the arena, causing many in the audience to cough and sputter.

Jerkius had been sent reeling backward along with everyone else. It took him a moment to pick himself up and get back to his feet. And when he did, he couldn't help but gape at the series of long, deep fissures that were spread all across the battlefield. All stretching out from the same spot in the middle of the field.

Jerkius squinted through the dust and felt his heart skip a beat when he noticed something standing out in the middle of the battlefield. All he could really make out was a dark outline of the boy... A silhouette. With two bright, glowing red eyes... And glowing red crescents beneath them.

Jerkius clenched his teeth and tighten his grip on his sword. Jerkius quickly whispered another long line of incantations, causing his sword to glow even brighter than before. A bright golden flame erupted from the blade, and once again took the form of a dragon with a long serpent-like body. This time, however, the dragon stayed close to Jerkius. As Jerkius continued to mutter to himself, the firey dragon slowly curled itself around his blade. The golden flame burned ever brighter, as massive sparks of electricity erupted from the blade.

The entire sword began to tremble in his hands as it struggled to contain the massive amounts of energy being poured into it.

"...I don't know what kind of trickery you are using, Marco Diaz..." muttered Jerkius. "...But it's not going to work. No feeble power of yours could _ever_ match my own."

With that, Jerkius launched himself forward. Bellowing a powerful roar as he raced through the cloud of dust and swung his sword down at this silhouette. There was a flash of movement, and just as Jerkius' sword threatened to meet with the silhouette, it was met with a fist.

Just as Jerkius' sword swung down to meet its target, the blade was suddenly met with a fist. There was a thunderous bang, followed by a flash of blinding light as the fist shattered the blade upon impact and continued to travel forward until it finally met with Jerkius' chest plate.

The impact sounded like an explosion, rattling the entire arena once more. Jerkius was launched back into a metal wall at an incredible speed. The wall bent and crumpled upon impact, and large pieces of his armor finally broke and fell away. Save for the remains of his helmet, which continued to hide his face.

As the dust finally began to clear, Marco slowly closed his eyes. The glowing crescent marks on his cheeks quickly dissipated, and he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"W-WHOAH! I COULDN'T SEE WHAT JUST HAPPENED WITH ALL THAT DUST IN THE AIR, BUT-... BUT IT LOOKS LIKE BOTH MARCO _AND_ JERKIUS ARE DOWN!" exclaimed Fool Duke.

"Simply incredible! I believe I know just the poem to go along with this exact situation! It-" began Ruberiot, only to be interrupted.

"QUIT RUINING THE MOMENT, RUBERIOT!"

Once the dust had cleared, the audience fell into a state of confusion. The moment of confusion was quickly forgotten, however, when they noticed Marco start to stir. The crowd exploded into wild cheers, as they watched Marco slowly forced himself back to his feet. As he took a few clumsy steps forward, the cheers from the crowd only grew in intensity. Especially the cheers from the VIP area.

Marco blinked a few times, as he struggled to piece together what had just happened. Everything felt like a long red blur... Frowning, Marco slowly shook his head as he stumbled towards Jerkius' limp form.

"MARCO IS UP! MARCO IS UUUP! IF JERKIUS IS DOWN FOR THE COUNT, THEN THAT MEANS WE HAVE OUR WINNER!" exclaimed Fool Duke, the arena speakers trembling under the power of her voice.

Jerkius was collapsed in a heap, with his back leaning against the metal wall. Most of his armor had been broken, revealing large patches of pale white skin. His helmet was a crumpled mess, and the hilt of his sword sat loose in his hand. There were still a few thin, jagged remains from the golden blade sticking out from the hilt. The rest of the blade had been scattered across the arena in several pieces.

Marco stared down at Jerkius' battered form for a little while, before breathing a slow sigh.

"...There." muttered Marco, his voice tired and rasped. "...Now... You have to apologize to Anastasia."

"... _Never_."

Marco gasped and stumbled backward as the hilt of Jerkius' sword began to glow with power. Jerkius launched himself forward, as the jagged remains of his sword were suddenly engulfed in golden flames. Marco instinctively squeezed his eyes shut just as Jerkius slashed at him, catching him across his left eye with the firey remains of his sword. Marco clenched his teeth and growled in pain as he continued to stumble backward, doing his very best to avoid Jerkius' desperate attacks. As he moved, Marco felt his entire body whine in protest.

"JERKIUS IS UP AGAIN!" exclaimed Fool Duke.

"Indeed... And it looks like things are beginning to get desperate for both Marco and Sir Jerkius... It looks like they're both about ready to collapse at a moments notice..." added Ruberiot.

Jerkius slashed and stabbed at Marco with his broken sword a few more times, and as Marco struggled to avoid each attack, he could feel his senses start to dull. Eventually, Jerkius caught Marco's cape with his sword- giving it another long tear.

Marco clenched his teeth, as he felt his surrounds continue to spin and blur. Jerkius thrust his broken sword at Marco once again- aiming directly for his heart. Suddenly, Marco stepped forward and caught Jerkius' hand. Wasting no time, Marco twisted Jerkius' arm as far back as he could- causing a sickening snap. Jerkius dropped his broken sword as he hissed in pain. Thinking quickly, Jerkius ignored the arm that Marco was holding, and focused on attacking with his other arm. Jerkius landed a solid punch to Marco's ribs, causing Marco to howl in pain. In response, Marco forcibly pulled Jerkius closer, wound his head back, and then headbutted him in the face.

Marco let go of Jerkius' arm as he reeled backward. Then, he took a short breath before launching himself forward and into the air. Twisting his body around in the air, Marco landed a spin kick directly into Jerkius' bare chest. This sent Jerkius stumbling back even further until he finally fell on his back. Marco landed on his feet, and wasted no time in launched himself into the air once more. This time, Marco landed with his knees on Jerkius chest, before raising his hands up into the air and clenching them both into a ball.

Marco roared as he swung his fists down into Jerkius' face.

The sound of the impact echoed throughout the arena, rendering everyone momentarily quiet.

Jerkius had gone limp and still.

It was finally finished.

Suddenly, Marco gasped and let out a pained yell. Looking down, he found what appeared to be a small knife embedded in his side. Marco clenched his teeth and groaned as blood poured out from around the knife. He wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, but if Marco had to guess, he would say that it was just before he had delivered the finishing blow.

Marco gave an angry scowl as he slowly climbed off of Jerkius and got to his feet, clutching at the knife in his side. As the blood poured down leg, Marco gave a long, pained groan.

"MARCO IS UP! JERKIUS IS DOWN! Oh! But it looks like Marco's hurt! Marco! Stay up on your feet!" exclaimed Fool Duke.

"If you don't stay standing through the whole countdown, it'll be a draw!" added Ruberiot.

Marco groaned as he slowly limped away from Jerkius, clutching his side. As the crowd begun to chant backward from ten, Marco felt everything around him continue to spin and fade to black. A small trickle of blood flowed down his face, and Marco winced as he gently placed his free hand over his left eye. Jerkius' broken sword had been covered in magical fire, which had apparently cauterized most of the cut in an instant. But there was still a small trickle of blood running down his face, and it still hurt tremendously.

Marco clenched his teeth as he slowly forced his left eye open. And was relieved to find that he could still see through it. The broken sword had just barely missed his eyeball.

Doing his best to ignore the pain and dizziness that had taken over his entire body, Marco focused all the energy he had on staying on his feet. Time passed by very slowly, and as the crowd continued to chant, Marco found his gaze wandering toward the sea of faces sitting in the audience. Eventually, his eyes came to a slow stop at the VIP area. Where Kelly was loudly counting down along with everyone else, with tears in her eyes.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

Marco stumbled forward a little, as he felt his legs threaten to give out from under him. Marco groaned and took a few shallow breaths.

"Two!"

"One!"

"..."

A moment of silence fell over the arena, as everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath. Then, finally...

"THAT'S IT! MARCO DIAZ IS OUR WINNER" bellowed Fool Duke, followed quickly by a flood of cheers and shouts that shook the entire arena.

Marco groaned as he slowly sat himself down. Ignoring the cheers and adulation of the crowd, Marco turned his attention to the knife jutting out of his side and frowned. '...Okay-... So... Do I remove it... Or-... Leave it in?' he pondered, quietly. 'Come on... I'm sure I saw a safety video about this once...'

Sweat poured down down his bruised and bloody form as he struggled to think and to keep himself from passing out. Marco felt his breath hitch in his throat as a powerful wave of nausea came crashing down him. His whole body began to tremble, and all he could do was let out a long, pained groan as he slowly grabbed at the end of his cape and gently pressed it around the knife. Blood quickly began to seep through the blue fabric of the cape, turning it red in big messy patches.

'...I think... I leave it in...' he thought. '...It-... It might... Help... Stop... Some of the-... The bleeding...'

As he did his best to apply pressure to the wound, Marco drew a few shallow breaths as he did his very best to think about anything other than the knife in his side. Or the dangerous amount of blood he had already lost.

Meanwhile, a sense of discord was beginning to develop among small segments of the audience, as the cheers for Marco continued. Eventually, a loud voice cut through the cheers.

"Cheater!" bellowed one of the Royal Knights. This caused the cheering for Marco to pause, as a few scattered sounds of agreement arose from small segments of the crowd. Suddenly, an audience member stood up on his chair. He appeared to be an older Mewman, and he was wearing a big foam finger with the words 'Jerkius is Number One' scrawled across it. "Yeah!" he bellowed. "There's no way that little punk won fair and square!"

Slowly, one by one, a few more audience members stood up on their seats in order to voice their complaints.

"It's impossible!"

"Exactly! He's not even Mewman! He's from some 'non-magical' dimension!"

"He probably used some kinda forbidden magic or something! While we were all distracted by the dust and stuff!"

"I'll bet he stole the magic from the Princess!"

"I concur!"

As the rumblings of dissatisfaction began to intensify among the crowd, a few angry audience members began to throw things into the battlefield. A collection of half empty bags of popcorn, empty soda cans and various other pieces of trash landed in a heap, just a short distance away from Marco. Things quickly began to spin out of control, as the belligerent behavior spread across the arena like wildfire. Several audience members did their best to protest in defense of Marco. But their voices were quickly drowned out in the noise.

"Hey! Everbody calm down!" yelled Fool Duke, over the speaker system.

"Yes! Please! Don't make me be a part of _another_ riot! It'll seriously harm my reputation!" exclaimed Ruberiot. "...I mean, then again... I suppose I could turn this into another book deal..." he muttered.

"...You are literally the _worst_ , Ruby-rot." muttered Fool Duke.

Before Ruberiot could respond, someone from the crowd threw their corn shake at one of the speakers. As the corny liquid drenched the speaker, a series of sparks burst into the air, followed by a high pitched hissing sound. The rest of the speakers suddenly cut out, as the crowd continued to yell angrily. A few members of the crowd began to argue amongst themselves. As did a few members of the Royal Knights. Finally, one audience member stood up out of his chair, and then picked it up and threw it at a nearby pair who had been vocally defending Marco.

"Go back to the forest, you Non-Mewman sympathizers!" he bellowed.

And with that, the entire arena descended into a full-scale riot. Audience members and Royal Knights began to fight and argue amongst themselves, and with each other. While many of members of the audience and Royal Knights found themselves falling on either Marco or Jerkius' side, some others seemed to be just taking the chaos as an opportunity to start breaking things.

Kelly completely ignored the chaos erupting all over the arena, and kept her focus trained squarely on Marco. "Hey! Why aren't there any medics down on the field yet!?" she exclaimed, her voice overflowing with desperation and concern.

Sir Lavabo frowned. "...I fear that they may have found themselves 'interrupted' by some of Jerkius' followers... They can quite... _Bothersome_... At times." he muttered. "...Come. We shall attend to Marco ourselves."

With that, Sir Lavabo pulled a small glass bottle of liquid out from underneath his armor and gently poured its contents over the guardrail. As soon as the liquid touched the ground below, a massive pile of bubbles began to froth up from the dirt. Wasting no time, Lavabo vaulted over the guardrail and bounced off of the pile of bubbles, pulling off a double flip in the air before landing gracefully on his feet.

Kelly quickly followed suit, albeit somewhat less theatrically. Once she was on the battlegrounds, she rushed over to join Lavabo at Marco's side. Upon kneeling down next to her bruised and bloodied friend, she offered him a reassuring smile. "...H-Hey there, Marco Ubaldo Diaz..." she said. "...Lookin' a little rough around the edges, aren't we?"

Marco gave a soft groan and a slow nod. "...Yeah." he muttered, sounding mildly delirious. "...My edges... Have definitely... Been roughed."

"That might be a slight understatement..." muttered Lavabo, as he pulled a small bag out from under his armor and began to rifle through its contents. With an air of impatience, Lavabo finally just poured the contents of the bag out on the ground. Marco slowly raised an eyebrow as he watched Lavabo sort through a rubber duck, several small bottles labeled 'fabric softener', and one labeled 'fabric hardener', along with a pile of clothespins, a scrubbing brush, an expired Goblin Dogs coupon, and finally, a vial of sparkling purple powder.

"I bought this along just in case... And I am most glad that I did..." muttered Lavabo, as he held the vial of purple powder up in front of him. "Now then... Marco... You may want to lay down for this... And, be aware... It may cause you some... Extreme discomfort."

Marco slowly laid himself down in the dirt, with Kelly's help. Before he could even begin to ask what exactly Lavabo meant by 'extreme discomfort', Lavabo suddenly pulled the knife out of side. Marco let out a pained yell, as Lavabo gently pushed Marco's hands to the side and poured the purple powder directly on to his wound. This led to a loud shriek of pain from Marco, as the powder seemed to sizzle and sink into his wound.

Everything around him began to fade into big patches of patches of darkness.

It was a familiar feeling to him by now. But it didn't make it any less disorientating.

Chaos continued to run rampant across the arena. The sounds echoed from all sides. And once again, Marco felt the world around him begin to spin out of control. Marco's eyelids fluttered a little, as he suddenly realized that Kelly and Lavabo were trying to speak to him. But for some reason, he couldn't quite make out the words.

Marco frowned a little and tried to focus. But his brain was too tired.

He had reached his limit. In fact, he had pushed far past it some time ago.

All of a sudden, there was a massive explosion of light from above.

Marco winced, and everyone in the arena suddenly froze. All at once, everyone looked up and gaped in awe as they watched the winged form of their princess hover in the air. Bathed in a brilliant golden glow. Radiating with such incredible power, that it made many in the audience fall to their knees.

This was the power of true royalty.

For a brief moment, Marco wondered if he was dreaming again. A familiar sense of warmth came crashing over his weary frame, and Marco felt his mouth twist into a soft smile. "...Star..." he muttered, as his eyes fluttered closed.

As Star slowly sank to the ground, the golden glow around her suddenly dissipated. And her wings and extra arms seemed to shrink and disappear. Ignoring the wide-eyed stares from all around the arena, Star raced over to Marco, desperately calling his name. As she came to a sliding stop in front of his bloody, unconscious form, she was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of intense emotion. Tears quickly began to form in her eyes, as she turned her attention to Kelly and Lavabo.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" she bellowed. The power of her voice rattled the entire arena with such intensity, that it seemed as though the entire building might collapse in on itself.

There was a long, awkward moment of silence in the arena. Eventually, the silence was broken when Kelly cleared her throat.

"...Well... It's, uh... It's kind of a long story..."

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

( **AN** : ...Sorry about the awkward ending. I'd originally planned to end this chapter in a different way, but it was already going too long... So, I decided to end it here. This was another very difficult chapter to write, and I'm kinda unsatisfied with its overall quality... Of course, I _always_ feel that way- so it's nothing new.

Anyway- I wrote and then rewrote portions of the chapter several times, and I think this is about as good as I can make it. I apologize if it's a little disappointing.)

( **PS** : If you wanna read something written by someone with a more talent than me, let me suggest ' **Forever** ' by **_Ngame_** , ' **Is Different** ' by **_realfakedoors_** , ' **The Sign of the Moon** ' by _**blackwolfwrites**_ , and ' **Uniting Crescents and Stars** ' by _**robertkellett**. _All of these are great Starco stories. And if you're in the mood for Kellco, then, of course, check out ' **Marco and Kelly vs The Universe** ' by _**Kirdei Antares**_ , if you haven't already.)

( **PPS** : Also! Someone was kind enough to draw something based on this lil' story! Check out artist **ALDAL** on DeviantArt. The picture is entitled ' _ **Marcocrushed art**_ ', and features Jerkius, Marco, and more!)

(And, as always, special thanks to **robertkellett** for once again having the patience to deal with me and my long winded story.)

(( Also- I apologize if I've been lax in responding to reviews, as well as reviewing other stories. Unfortunately, writing this chapter has taken up quite a bit of my attention recently. I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to everyone who has reviewed this story so far, and to all those who continue to do so in the future. It means a lot, and it makes me feel a whole lot better about spending so much time and energy on this thing. Thanks again, and I wish you all the best.))


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Moving Forward

Buff Frog breathed a heavy sigh as he stood just outside of his home, wearing a pair of old underwear and a bathrobe. It was a beautiful new day in the land of Mewni. And as the sun rose in the distance, it bathed all the land in a warm, gentle glow. The morning breeze carried a sweet scent along with it and as he felt it wash over him, Buff Frogs head flippers twitched ever so slightly.

Spring seemed to have arrived overnight in the land of Mewni. All of a sudden, the air was once again alive with the sounds of Mewni wildlife as beautiful flowers and plants began to flourish all around. Everything in the land seemed to have been made brighter with the season's change. The bitter cold of winter had been replaced with the gentle warmth of spring. And nearly every creature on Mewni was excited by the change.

For Mewmans, spring brought about a sense of pure joy. For them, it was the season of many feasts. The season of romance. And the season of new beginnings.

Mewman crops would soon be overflowing with produce, and several festivals would be held just to keep up with the incredible abundance of food. During springtime, Mewmans held at least three different corn festivals, a meat festival, an 'everything else' festival, and even a small little festival for those few strange Mewmans that preferred carrots. And that was just the beginning.

There was also the 'Festival of Lovers'. A festival dedicated to romance, and to the various courting rituals of Mewni. Then, there was the 'Festival of Friendship'. A festival dedicated to the many precious platonic relationships in everyone's lives. And then, there was the 'Festival of Rivalries', which often devolved into a multi kingdom-wide game of 'Flags'. This was usually the second most violent of the springtime festivals. The first being the festival that they held in honor of the 'Great Monster Massacre'.

Each kingdom celebrated the many festivals of spring in their own unique ways. The Spiderbite Kingdom had somehow managed to tie every festival into their life-long war against the armies of spiders that kept them surrounded at all times. The Johansons tended to celebrate everything with a whole lot of corn-ale and fighting. And the Netherworld celebrations were known to contain unspeakable horrors. Which was why most non-demon creatures tended to avoid the Netherworld during the spring.

Spring was truly a magical time for most. But for those creatures of Mewni who had been classified as a 'Monster' some time in their history, spring felt considerably different.

For Monsters, the season of spring meant dealing with all manner of crazed wildlife within the Forests. For most of the wild creatures of Mewni, springtime was also mating season. Which meant a dramatic increase in territorial and aggressive behavior for most. And it wasn't just the many beast or lizard-like creatures of the Forests that made trouble for monsters. The Forests were also home to all manner of dangerous plants. Some were poisonous, some were carnivorous, and many were both. And they would all use the change in season as an opportunity to spread as far and wide as possible.

Springtime was the most dangerous time of the year to be a monster living in the forests of Mewni. Between having to fight and scavenge for food with the newly invigorated wildlife, many Monsters also had to deal with the many 'Monster Hunting Expeditions' that the festivals celebrating the Great Monster Massacre often inspired.

But despite the extra danger, and the near immeasurable amounts of stress and anxiety that came along with it, the Monsters still pressed on. Monsters had grown incredibly resilient over the centuries. They were forced too- after all, their only alternative was to die.

As a way of celebrating their collective resilience, the Monsters would all gather together once a year in the center of the biggest forest of Mewni, far away from any Kingdom, and hold a festival of their own.

It was known as the 'Festival of Fantasy'. And it was a time when Monsters from all over the land would come together, bringing as much food as they could find, and spend a whole night partying together. This gathering had been dubbed the 'Festival of Fantasy', because it was the one night of the year that Monsters could indulge in the fantasy of living the way that many imaged the Mewmans did. And it was the one time of the year that every Monster genuinely looked forward too.

Buff Frog clenched his teeth a little as he read and then re-read the letter in his hands. He had found the letter in an envelope tied to a rock just in front of his door. The sound of it hitting his front door had been what had stirred him awake so early in the morning. The letter was addressed to him by name, and upon opening it, he had felt a quick swell of dread deep in his belly.

'To Yvgeny Bulgolyubov.

We, the official organizers of this year's Festival of Fantasy wish to inform you that you and your family are no longer welcome to attend the Festival. Not this year, and possibly, never again.

Please make a note of this.

And if you arrive anyway, we will not hesitate to eject you.

We simply cannot abide the presence of someone who has so deeply betrayed their own ancestry, by making allies of Mewmans.

And with the Princess of the Butterfly Kingdom, no less!

Please do not try to argue with this decision, as it has already been made.

From, the Organisers of the Festival of Fantasy.'

Buff Frog held the letter in his hands for a little longer, slowly scowling as he stared down at the page. Frankly, he wasn't all that worried about missing the Festival of Fantasy. He had skipped it before, after all. However... Last year, he had brought the Buff Kids to the festival. Back when they were a little closer to being 'Buff Babies'. And they had the time of their young lives. For the first time, they got to play with Monster children of their own age, and eat until their bellies were truly full.

The Buff Kids had been brimming with excitement for their next Festival of Fantasy. A few of them had even been counting down the days with small checkmarks across the muddy wall of their bedroom.

Buff Frog took a long, deep breath, and sighed once more. 'This is going to be breaking their little hearts...' he thought. Of course, he knew that they were all going to give him a brave face. They always did. But he knew very well that the news was going to hurt. It was going to feel like a rejection from all the Monsters. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Buff Frog gripped the letter and considered tearing it up in a huff. However, he paused, when he noticed a second sheet of paper behind the first. With a small, reluctant sigh, Buff Frog shifted the second piece of paper to the front and began to read.

'Heya, B-Frog. Real sorry about this...

I did my best to convince 'em otherwise, but...

Look, they're just scared. And they don't wanna take any chances. If you say the Butterfly Princess is cool, then I believe you. But there's just no way for them to trust that you won't sell 'em out to the Mewmans... Or that the crazy Princess won't follow you there and cause a total panic... The Fantasy Festival is super important to a whole lot of Monsters... And they can't take any risk of having it turn sour.

But I want you to know... I won't be going this year, either. And neither will the monsters that worked with us during that whole thing with the rats and the corn...

Don't forget to tell those lil' tykes of yours that no matter what, there are monsters out there who _do_ know who their friends are.

Wishin' you all the best...

Boo Fly.'

As he read the letter, Buff Frog felt his mouth curl into a small smile. '...Thank you, Boo Fly.' he thought. 'I will be sure to be letting them know.'

With that, Buff Frog slowly folded up the letter and stuffed it into the pocket of his bathrobe. After taking a moment to draw a long, deep breath and stare out at the rising sun, Buff Frog quietly adjusted his bathrobe and made his way back inside. He had only taken a few short steps into the living room, when he noticed one of the Buff Kids suddenly swing open their bedroom door. Buff Frog paused for a moment, as he watched the Buff Kid march out of the room, blowing a whistle with each step. The Buff Kid blowing the whistle appeared to be Katrina. And as she blew the whistle and marched, the rest of the Buff Kids followed close behind. The Buff Kids formed a line as they marched into the middle of the living room, in perfect sync with Katrina's whistling.

Eventually, they came to a sudden stop. And as the rest of Buff Kids stood in line, Katrina marched back and forth, inspecting her brothers and sisters like a junior drill sargent. Each one of them were wearing their favorite pair of clothes, along with an oversized backpack.

"Roll call!" bellowed Katrina, her voice loud and authoritative.

"Alexi, reporting for duty!"

"Boris! Reporting also!"

"Dimitri! Ready to bring the laughs! I've got a whole bag of whoopee cushions ready to go!"

"Anya, here! I'm more ready than I've ever been for anything!"

"Mikhail is being here as well! And I am also being ready!"

"Leo is here too! I mean- I guess you know that already, 'cuz I'm attached to Mikhail an' all... But-... You know... Just so you know... I'm here! _And_ ready!"

"I'm here too. ...I mean, 'Irina' is here too. And I'm just as ready as everyone else. ...'Cept, you know... I'm ready in a much _cooler_ way."

"I AM NADIA! LET IT BE KNOWN! I TOO AM READY! I AM ALSO LOOOOUD!"

"Whoah now, Nadia... There's no need to be gettin' yourself all worked up so early in the morning, y'know? Uh- By the way, I'm here too. Sergei's my name. And meditation's my game. I still think you should try it, Nadia..."

"NEVER!"

Finally, at the very end of the line, Anastasia timidly cleared her throat. "I-... Anastasia is here too. And... And I'm ready too." she said. As she spoke, all of her siblings turned to face her. Each one of them looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and concern. Anastasia's black eye had fully healed, and she was no longer wearing her eye patch. However, she did have dark rings around her eyes from a lack of proper sleep.

And all of her siblings knew why. They had all noticed the way that she had been tossing and turning in her sleep. The way she sometimes shuddered and yelped- as if she were reliving her traumatic experience all over again.

Today, however, she looked a little brighter. And the reason for that was obvious. It was the same reason that all of the Buff Kids were currently barely holding back their excitement. It was because today, they were going to go visit their Uncle Marco.

"All right! Looks like we're all here, and we're all ready!" bellowed Katrina. "Now then- Let's head out!"

The Buff Kids loudly cheered and croaked amongst themselves, before rushing toward the front door- only to stop when they found their father standing in front of them with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrow gently raised.

"And where is it that you are all going to be 'heading out'?" asked Buff Frog, his voice gentle but authoritative.

Katrina stood in front of the other Buff Kids, and quickly slipped into her long-established role as the 'Sibling Representative'.

"We're going out to visit Uncle Marco." said Katrina.

Buff Frog stared down at the excited faces of the Buff Kids for a moment and then gave a small sigh. "...Now, Buff Kids... I have been telling you already... Your Uncle Marco is being asleep in a Mewman Hospital... And even if he were not being still recovering... We would not be able to go inside Mewman Hospital because we are being Monsters."

All of the Buff Kids quickly began to croak in protest and Katrina quickly rose her hand to silence them, before turning her attention back to her father. "We already got special permission from the Queen, remember? We got a special little ID thing and everything. Besides- we'll have our Aunty Shrubbery with us." said Katrina.

Buff Frog frowned. "...So, you were planning to be sneaking off with Shrubbery Girl?" he muttered.

"No... I mean-... Yes... But, we told her that we had your permission... And we were gonna leave a note for you..." said Katrina.

Buff Frogs frown deepened. "I have been telling you many times not to be sneaking out like this!" he said, raising his voice ever so slightly and giving the Buff Kids a stern look. "Especially not to Butterfly Kingdom! Surely you are understanding how _dangerous_ this is!"

The Buff Kids were all silent for a moment, as they all fidgeted about, looking guilty. Katrina quietly cleared her throat, and was about to say something when she was suddenly interrupted.

"But we _had_ to sneak out!" exclaimed Anastasia, as she stepped forward from the group. Her normally quiet and timid voice cracked a little as she spoke up. "You won't let us go see Karate Uncle, even though he's hurt!"

Buff Frogs expression softened greatly, as he turned his gaze toward Anastasia. "...I know it is being frustrating... But Karate Boy is being in Mewman Hospital right now... And he is being unconscious ever since the night of his injury... Even if you are visiting him, it is not as though you can be having conversation with him..." said Buff Frog.

"But it's been almost four days!" exclaimed Anastasia. "Maybe he'll be awake! Or- Or maybe he's really close! Be-... Besides! Even if... Even if I don't know for sure that-... That he can hear it... I-... I have stuff I wanna tell him! Please! Let us-... Let us at least try! We... We just wanna see him..."

As Anastasia's voice began to tremble, and tears began to form in her eyes, Buff Frog breathed a heavy sigh. "...Very well. You can go. You can all go." he said.

Anastasia smiled and wiped her eyes, and the rest of the Buff Kids immediately began to croak and cheer. Buff Frog quickly interrupted their celebrations by loudly clearing his throat. "However. I will be going along with you as well. Also... You will have to be waiting until after you have eaten your breakfast." he said. "Besides- it is being too early to go just now."

The Buff Kids breathed a collective sigh. None of them liked the idea of waiting even a single extra second. Still, eventually, they relented with a series of slow nods. "...Yes, Papa..." they muttered.

Buff Frog uncrossed his arms and offered the Buff Kids a soft smile. "I know you are being worried about Karate Boy. I am being very worried myself. ...But-... I am not wanted you to do anything dangerous, like sneaking out. Karate Boy would not be wanting this either. Understand?" he asked.

There were a few small sighs among the Buff Kids as they slowly nodded their heads in reluctant agreement.

"Good. I am glad that you are understanding." said Buff Frog. "Now then... Are you wanting a bowl of Swamp Flakes or Mud Bubbles for breakfast?" he asked, as he made his way over to the kitchen cupboard. A chorus of voices followed from behind, as the Buff Kids hopped up to the dinner table. As the Buff Kids took their seats, they immediately began to talk and croak amongst themselves- each one practically bursting with excitement at the prospect of seeing their Karate Uncle again.

As Buff Frog retrieved the breakfast cereal, he paused for a moment. The kitchen cupboard was practically full- and he had been able to keep it that way for several months now. Thanks in large part due to the monthly residual checks he received from Goblin Dog HQ. Apparently, the 'Tremendous Trio' mascots had become incredibly popular across the dimensions. The characters had appeared in several ad campaigns since the day they were created. In fact, the characters had become so popular that there was even talk of making a cartoon based on them.

The whole thing was more than a little surreal for Buff Frog- but so far, the residual checks had meant that his Buff Kids no longer had to go a day without food. And that meant everything to him.

After serving each Buff Kid a bowl of cereal, Buff Frog quietly sat down at the table with a couple pieces of slimy toast and a glass of Yelzak milk. As the Buff Family ate together, the room was alive with the sounds of croaking, eating and enthusiastic discussion of all manner of subjects. Of course, the bulk of the discussion revolved around Marco.

As Buff Frog sat at the table with his family, he couldn't help but smile. So much of his life had been tainted with various shades of misery. But now... Everything had changed. And all of it for the better.

Just everyone had finished up their breakfast, a familiar ripping sound filled the air. Turning slightly in their chairs, the Buff Family watched as a portal suddenly appeared in their dining room. Very quickly, the Buff Kids began to croak and hop with excitement as Kelly emerged from the portal.

"Morning, everyone!" she said, giving the Buff Family a friendly wave before closing the portal behind her.

"Shrubbery Aunt!" the Buff Kids exclaimed, as they hopped out of their chairs.

Kelly smiled as the Buff Kids leaped through the air to tackle her all at once. Moving quickly, she adjusted her footing and caught the Buff Kids in her arms. Their collective momentum was almost enough to knock her backward- but not quite. Kelly held her ground and gave the Buff Kids an affectionate squeeze as they all giggled and croaked in her arms.

"Is everyone ready for the big Marco visit?" asked Kelly. A chorus of excited croaking filled the air in response and Kelly laughed a little as she slowly lowered the Buff Kids back to floor. "Good. Now remember what I told you, okay? You have to stick close to me, no matter what. No wandering off. And under no circumstances are you to talk to any strangers. Even if they try to talk to you. If some jerk tries to make trouble, then I'll take care of it." she said.

The Buff Kids quietly nodded along as Kelly spoke, their faces uncharacteristically serious.

"...You shouldn't have to worry too much, though. Marco was moved to his bedroom back in Butterfly Castle... Apparently, it was 'cuz of some kinda reaction he had to Mewman medicine. I heard he wound up glowing in the dark or something..." said Kelly. "Anyway- the Queen has personally granted all of you special permission to visit. Plus, I'll be escorting you, and most of the guards and stuff know who I am..." she continued. "And like I said before... If anyone tries to cause trouble for you guys... I'll take care of it. Trust me."

Kelly gave the Buff Kids a warm, comforting smile. To which the Buff Kids were quick to respond with a series of smiles of their own.

"So- any questions?" asked Kelly.

Before any of the Buff Kids could respond, another voice cut in from behind them. "Yes... Is it being okay if I am 'tagging along'?" asked Buff Frog, as he approached them.

Kelly blinked in surprise. "Buff Frog? You're awake? I thought you were going on an 'all day hibernation' thing or something..." she said.

Buff Frog slowly raised an eyebrow, and then shot the Buff Kids a look. The Buff Kids quietly looked away and began to whistle Frog breathed a small sigh. "...This was being a lie. The Buff Kids... They were not having my permission to go visit Karate Boy. And so, they had planned to use you to sneak out. I was just finding out about this a short time ago." he said.

Kelly blinked again and then frowned. As she looked down at the Buff Kids, their innocent whistling began to sound a little strained as they shifted about uncomfortably.

"But- they are having my permission now. And I have already been speaking to them about their behavior." said Buff Frog. "Also... I was wanting to go along as well. Is this being any trouble?"

Kelly slowly moved her gaze back to Buff Frog, and shook her head. "No, no trouble at all. I'm glad you could come along." she said, with a small smile.

Buff Frog grinned. "Good! Well then... Let's go visit Karate Boy, shall we?" he asked.

The Buff Kids cheered and croaked with excitement, as Kelly's smile slowly grew.

"Yeah... Let's go!" she exclaimed.

* * *

 _Marco Diaz stumbled through the darkness once more._

 _Searching for something..._

 _Something that he could never quite grasp..._

 _Desperation clawed at him from inside._

 _Fracturing his nerves._

 _Making him want to scream._

 _What was it he was searching for?_

 _Marco didn't even know anymore._

 _All he knew now, was that he wanted it. Needed it. More than anything._

 _But it was always just out of reach. And no matter how hard he tried, he would never even touch it._

 _That knowledge weighed heavily on him._

 _A deep, painful sadness joined the feverish desperation whirling around inside of him._

 _As time stretched forward for what seemed like an eternity, his emotions seemed to wage war with one another. The sadness slowly ebbed away at his desperate drive to find what he was looking for. While at the same time, his sense of desperation pushed back against the sadness. Morphing into a kind of warped determination not to let anything stop him from finding what he was looking for._

 _All of a sudden, a brilliant crimson light shone down from above. Marco winced, as his eyes struggled to adjust to the crimson glow all around him._

 _Above, the Blood Moon sat in a sky of darkness. Looking up at it, Marco felt his heart slowly sink._

 _Dozens of bright red balloons began to rise up from the darkness all around him. A long string hung from each balloon. And each balloon had a passenger. A familiar figure, being carried upward. Holding the string in one hand, and rising upward without effort._

 _Among the figures were Janna, Buff Frog, Kelly and the Buff Kids. Each one holding their own balloon. Floating alongside them were Alfonzo and Ferguson, who shared a balloon between them. As did his parents, who held each other close as they were carried toward the Blood Moon in the sky. His mother holding a small baby in her arms._

 _As he watched the people he cared about rise into the sky, Marco felt his chest tighten and tears begin to sting his eyes. As he stared up into the Blood Moon, a familiar voice echoed throughout the darkness._

 _"Marco..."_

 _Marco froze as he watched Jackie Lynn Thomas rise up into the sky. Looking the same way she had on the day she broke up with him. Seeing her again... Seeing the look of quiet sadness in her eyes... It broke his heart all over again._

 _Jackie gave him a small wave. And even as he felt tears threaten to come pouring down his cheeks, Marco took a breath and waved back._

 _Jackie gave him a small smile. "...Did you find it?" she asked. "...Did you find... What you were looking for?"_

 _Marco slowly shook his head._ "...I didn't." _he muttered._ "I-... I'm sorry..."

 _"...You will, Marco... You will find it..." said Jackie. "...I believe in you."_

 _Marco's gaze fell, as he felt a crushing wave of guilt wash over him._ "...Goodbye, Jackie..." _he muttered._

 _"Goodbye, Marco." said Jackie._

 _And with that, she continued to rise up until she disappeared into the Blood Moon along with everyone else. Leaving Marco standing all along, bathed in crimson light._

 ** _Interesting, isn't it?_**

 _Marco breathed a small sigh, as tentacles slowly rose up from the darkness below his feet and tightly wound themselves around his legs. Marco felt the gaze of dozens of dark purple eyes behind him. All of them belonging to the same dark creature._

 ** _That somehow... She knew. She knew that the time had come to let you go... And she did so... Even though it meant hurting both herself and a person she cared for deeply..._**

 _Marco slowly wiped the tears from his eyes and drew a long, deep breath._

 ** _She knew when to let go. As did Star Butterfly. Which is why... They shall rise to meet their future... While you remain here... Tethered to darkness... Wallowing in your own misery. Truly a fate befitting one as deeply pathetic as yourself. Wouldn't you agree?_**

 _Marco remained silent._

 ** _You'll watch everyone else rise above you... And mire yourself in the pain and jealousy that comes with it. Of course... Nothing will give you nearly as much pain and sorrow... As watching her... The girl you love... Finding her happiness in the arms of another... Will it?_**

 _Bright pink butterflies began to rise up from the darkness. Hundreds of them. All fluttering around in a circle, before slowly rising further into the air. A burst of fire erupted from below. The flames twisted about, joining the butterflies in rising upward. From amidst the cluster of butterflies, a familiar golden form arose. From the pillar of flames, a fiery figure appeared. Both holding each other close. Shifting about in each others arms as if they were dancing._

 _Marco watched as the figures of Star and Tom were carried into the air by a pillar of flames and a sea of pink butterflies._

 _Eventually, they too disappeared into the Blood Moon. As they did, the Blood Moon seemed to flicker. Marco slowly rose his hand into the air, as if he were trying to reach out and touch it._

 _But it too late._

 _The Blood Moon flickered out of existence._

 _Leaving him all alone._

 _As he stared out into the darkness, Marco breathed a heavy sigh._

"...I already told you, Monster Arm..." _he muttered._ "...I already know all of this stuff. I've thought of practically nothing else for a long time now."

 ** _Oh? But I don't think you do... I mean- look at you. Look at what you've been doing. Waiting around in the castle... Wandering around aimlessly... Hoping... With such painful desperation... That someday she'll reach out and tell you that everything will be okay. That things can go back to the way they were... And that you still have a place in her life..._**

 ** _You want her to lie to you..._**

 ** _Don't you?_**

 _Once again, Marco sighed._ "...Maybe." _he muttered._ "But I also know... That I can't let her. I can't let it go on like this anymore."

 _Laughter echoed throughout the darkness, as massive tendrils began to reach out from below and above. Wrapping themselves tightly around his entire body, and squeezing with incredible force._

 ** _You won't survive it, Marco. You're too weak. You might as well give up now... And give yourself to me..._**

"Shut up, Monster Arm."

 _Suddenly, the dark space that surrounded him began to tremble. Shards of light began to shine through the tiny spaces between the writhing tendrils wrapped around Marco's body. The dark space shook violently as a bright red light exploded out of Marco's body, tearing away the dark tendrils and reducing them to nothing._

 _Marco's form radiated a brilliant red glow, as he began to float into the air. The crescent marks on his cheeks somehow glowing even brighter._

 ** _You can't change your fate, Marco! No matter what, you'll always be miserable! You know it as well as I do! Try as you might... Nothing will ever change for you!_**

 _The voice of the Monster Arm sounded shrill and frightened, as massive glowing fissures began to spread out all across the dark space as Marco slowly opened his eyes._

"I... I can change it. I have the power... I always had it... I was just... Scared. Scared that somehow... I'd only make it worse." _he said._ "The last time I tried to change things for myself... I made a mistake. But... I can't let that stop me. Not anymore."

"I have the power to change things for myself. I'm done pretending otherwise. And for better or worse... It's time I use it."

* * *

As Marco opened his eyes, he found himself lying in his own bed, in his old bedroom. For a moment, he wondered in his time living on Mewni had all been a dream. An odd mixture of hope and dread filled his chest... Only to be quickly dispelled when he looked around the room.

All it took was a cursory glance for Marco to realize that he was lying in his bedroom on Mewni. His Mewni bedroom was an exact copy of the bedroom he had grown up with back on Earth. Right down to even the smallest of details. Such as the posters on the wall. One for an old movie called 'The Hand of Karate'. One of Mackie Hand's very first films, and one of Marco's all-time favorites. The other poster was for an old, cheesy horror movie called 'The Creeper'. For a long time, Marco had earnestly believed it to be the single scariest movie ever made. And he spent over a year plagued with nightmares after watching it on TV late at night. He had been around eight or nine years old at the time.

After hearing about how scared the movie had made him, Janna took it upon herself to find a copy of the movie poster and stick it to his bedroom wall. Marco was quick to tear it down- only to find it quickly replaced by another. Eventually, he had to give up on tearing it down, as it seemed like Janna had an endless supply of replacements.

Of course, the posters weren't the only things that were the same. All of the floorboards seemed to creak in the same places they did in his bedroom on Earth. His computer desk, his drawers, and his closet were all the same as well. The only real difference was the view from the window.

Or at least... It _had_ been.

Over the past year, Marco's bedroom on Mewni had changed in several small ways. For one thing, there was now a small talking 'Princess Turdina' doll sitting on his shelf. Right next to a small snowglobe with a tiny decorated stump sitting inside, with a small sign that read 'Merry Stump Day'. Beside the snowglobe, there sat a coffee mug with the words 'Number One Squire' printed on it- which, rather sadly, he had bought for himself.

Marco had even added a few new additions to his bedroom walls. Joining the posters on the left side of the room was a poster depicting Ruberiot's band 'Boy Out Fall'. Along with a poster for 'Milk Man 2: The Milkening', and a poster depicting a space unicorn flying through the stars.

Hanging up on the opposite wall was a large, cheap looking shirt with the words 'Tremendous Trio' scrawled across the front. Below the hasty penmanship were crude drawings of Buff Frog, Marco and Kelly's smiling faces.

There were also a few extra framed pictures sitting on his desk. One was of him, Buff Frog, Kelly and the Buff Kids standing in front of Buff Frogs house. All smiling brightly together. And another picture depicted both his father and his pregnant mother- both holding up a banner that read 'We Love You'.

Also sitting on his desk was a beautiful new lamp. It looked almost as if it had been molded out of white marble, yet it also had an oddly metallic sheen to it. The lamps surface was decorated with an intricate carving of two phoenixes facing against each other, with their long firey wings spread wide behind them. In the engraving, there was a pair of scissors floating in the air between the twin firebirds. Both of the phoenixes had their heads stretched upwards to marvel at the scissors. Sitting atop the lamp itself, and over the lightbulb, sat a yellow lampshade with a light orange trim around it.

The lamp was modestly sized and it had proved to be quite a handy addition on more than one occasion. Partly because it seemed to run on some kind of magic- which meant that it didn't need to be plugged into anything to work. It had actually been a birthday gift from Heckapoo. After returning from his long, tiring experience at Lava Lake Beach, Marco had found it sitting on his bed with a small note that simply read 'Happy Birthday, Muscles'. It had been quite a pleasant surprise. In the days following, Marco would come to find that Heckapo and his parents had been the only people in his life that had remembered his birthday.

Each new addition Marco's bedroom served as a small reminder of the memories he had made during his time on Mewni. For better or worse.

Marco breathed a small sigh and winced as he felt a jolt of pain in his chest. Groaning slightly, Marco slowly lowered his gaze down toward his chest and frowned. There, sitting on his chest and staring at him with vacant eyes, was none other than Glossaryk.

Marco returned Glossaryk's blank stare with one of his own. And for a while, the two of them simply stared at each other in utter silence.

Eventually, Marco found his voice.

"...Glossaryk?" he muttered, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke.

Glossaryk slowly cocked his head to the side at the sound of Marco's voice and blinked. Then, he stuck out his tongue and blew a long raspberry, spraying spit all over Marco's face. Marco grimaced and let out a long groan as Glossaryk hopped off of his chest and scurried away. When Marco moved to wipe the spit from his face, he suddenly froze and then let out another long, pained groan. His entire body felt rigid and sore. And even the simple action of wiping his face with his blanket was enough to send bursts of pain rippling across his entire frame.

"Oh, dear... Still in pain, are we?"

Marco flinched and let out a high pitched gasp, as Eclipsa the Queen of Darkness suddenly stepped into his field of vision. It was as if she had just appeared out of thin air. Marco felt a tremendous surge of panic fill his chest as Eclipsa approached him. Without thinking, he quickly forced himself to sit up- doing his very best to ignore the incredible surge of pain emanating from all over his body as he did so.

"Wha-... What're you doing here?" he rasped, with a slight tremble in his voice.

"Now, now... Calm down. I am here at the request of Star herself. If I wanted to do anything 'evil' to you... Well, I'd have done it already- Now wouldn't I?" said Eclipsa, with a soft smile and a slight chuckle.

Marco frowned as he struggled to prop himself up with his pillows. "...That's not a particularly calming sentiment..." he muttered. As Marco struggled and groaned, Eclipsa quietly stepped forward to help him with the pillows. Once he was settled, Marco muttered a small 'thanks', before breathing a long sigh. Followed quickly by a pained groan.

His whole body hurt. And moving around, even just to sit himself up, made everything feel a whole lot worse. Doing his best to ignore the dull pain pulsing from every part of him, Marco took a soft, deep breath and then turned his attention to Eclipsa.

"...So..." muttered Marco, as he slowly ran a hand through his hair. "...What, uh-... I mean..." Marco paused for a moment, as he struggled to collect his thoughts. A few minutes passed in silence, as Marco struggled to come up with a single coherent thought. Everything in his mind was one giant blur. And the throbbing pain in his head certainly didn't help matters. Eventually, he decided to simply ask the first question that came to mind.

"...Where's Star?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, it seems she had some other matters to attend to. So, she asked me to watch over you in her stead. She only left a few minutes ago, actually..." said Eclipsa. "...It's quite a shame. You just missed each other."

Marco breathed a long, tired sigh as he seemed to stare off into space for a moment. "...Yeah." he muttered.

Eclipsa slowly reached out her hand and placed in on top of his head. "...So, Marco Diaz... It seems you've been asleep for almost four whole days now." she said. "Your recovery had been quite slow... Although, I suppose that might have something to do with your being a 'hu'-man."

Marco blinked a few times, as he struggled to process what Eclipsa had just told him. Eventually, he gave a small frown. "... _Four days?_ " he muttered. "...That's... That's crazy..."

A heavy silence hung in the air as Marco appeared to lose himself in thought. Watching him with a curious gaze, Eclipsa took the opportunity to move her hand from the top of his head and gently caress his cheek. As soon as she touched his cheek, Eclipsa felt a strange tingling sensation in her hand that quickly ran across the length of her arm and then spread out over the rest of her body. It almost felt like a jolt of electricity coursing through her veins. Only... Somehow... It also felt warm. Almost inviting.

The sensation was enough to cause her to let out a small, involuntary gasp. Immediately snapping Marco out of his brief stupor.

"...What are you doing?" he asked, looking up at Eclipsa with a raised brow.

Eclipsa slowly removed her hand and then brought it to her own cheek. "...Fascinating..." she muttered, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Your magic different from any I've ever encountered before..."

Marco frowned. "...Magic? I don't have any magic..." he muttered.

Eclipsa smiled. "Oh, of course you do, Marco. I mean- at the very least, you've a pair of demon curses writhing around inside of you... That counts."

"...Demon curses? What're you-... Wait... Are you talking about the, uh-... 'Monster Arm'... Thing?" asked Marco.

"If by that, you mean the 'Demonicus Infestica' curse- then yes. Of course, you've also another one floating around inside... Although it does appear to be dormant at the moment... I believe it's known as the 'Naysaya'." said Eclipsa, making air quotes with her fingers as she said the word 'Naysaya'.

Marco frowned. "Wait- what? But... I thought the Naysaya thing was... _Done_."

"Oh, no- Of course not. All demonic curses are eternal. They'll stay with you, always. And nothing can ever fully remove or nullify them. In fact- there's a good chance they'll even stay with you beyond the grave. In some form or another." said Eclipsa.

Marco twitched a little and clenched his teeth. "...I see. That's..." Marco trailed off for a moment, before breathing a long, heavy sigh as he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"...I couldn't help but notice a few other curiosities in there as well... But nothing I could easily identify..." said Eclipsa. "You've certainly piqued my interest, Marco Diaz. In my younger days, I might have started dissecting you by now.."

Marco gave her a weary look. "...Please don't." he muttered.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, I don't even have my old equipment with me." said Eclipsa.

Marco thought for a moment and then frowned. "...Wait- ...What exactly do you mean by 'other curiosities'?" he asked.

Eclipsa gave a small shrug. "...Well, to be honest... I really don't know. Which is what makes it all so incredibly _fascinating_..." she said. As she spoke, her eyes continued to sparkle with excitement and curiosity as she leaned a little closer toward Marco. Marco shifted a little further into his pillows, unsure of what to say or do under her gaze. Images of Eclipsa wearing hospital scrubs and leering over him with scalpel flashed across his mind.

Marco shuddered, not noticing the playful smile on Eclipsa's face.

All of a sudden, a loud commotion erupted from just outside Marco's bedroom door. Marco and Eclipsa both turned their attention toward the door just in time to watch it suddenly swing wide open. The sounds of barking, croaking and laser shooting filled the air as the Buff Kids suddenly burst into room- riding on the backs of the laser puppies. The puppies immediately spread out into the room, shooting lasers in all directions- until they noticed Marco. Immediately, the Buff Kids began to croak and cheer and the laser puppies began to yip excitedly as they all jumped up on to Marco's bed and raced toward him.

"KARATE UNCLE!" exclaimed the Buff Kids, as they launched themselves off of the puppies backs and into Marco's chest. The laser puppies quickly followed suit. And all of a sudden, Marco found himself covered in a swarm of excited Buff Kids and Laser Puppies.

"Ach! Ow! Pain! Lasers!" grunted Marco, as he struggled to peel the excited creatures away from his bruised and battered frame. "C-C'mon guys, I know you're all excited... Ow! Eclipsa! Anybody! Help" he exclaimed, as he was quickly overwhelmed by the loving swarm.

Eclipsa brought her hand up to her mouth and giggled as she watched the scene play out in front of her. After taking a moment to fully enjoy it, she put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. In an instant, the Laser Puppies all suddenly froze.

"Come now, puppies... Come over here. Let's not rough Marco up too much..." said Eclipsa. The puppies let out a series of whines and whimpers as they slowly made their way off of Marco's bed. "Yes, yes, I know- Your were all just expressing your love... It's okay..." Eclipsa cooed, as she crouched down to give some of the puppies a gentle scratch behind the ear.

After watching Eclipsa coo and pet the laser puppies, with a mildly confused look on his face, Marco turned his attention toward the Buff Kids. "...Guys- I'm sorry, but... I need you all to get off me... I'm, uh-... I'm pretty sore..." he muttered. The Buff Kids croaked and pouted a little as they all slowly released their collective hug and hopped down on to the bed.

"...Sorry, Karate Uncle..." muttered the Buff Kids, many of their eyes downcast and filled with guilt.

Maro smiled. "...It's okay, you guys." he said. "It's really nice to see you all again... I guess I've been asleep for a while, huh?"

The Buff Kids faces quickly brightened, and they all began to hop, nod and croak in agreement.

"Yeah! We heard that you were coma-rized or something!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids.

"Uh-huh! And you were so beat up an' stuff, that you got put into a Mewman hospital! We couldn't even visit you 'till just now!" exclaimed another.

From among the group, Katrina suddenly hopped forward. "So... How'd you wake up? Did Star give you a special 'Princess kiss'?" she asked, with a tiny giggle. The rest of the Buff Kids were quick to start giggling alongside her.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "...What? No... I just-" before he could finish his sentence, he was suddenly cut off by a flurry of excited voices.

"Oh! Really? It wasn't _Star_? Then who?"

"Was it that 'Janna' girl we met at the Earth party?"

"Maybe she used that hot-sauce somehow!"

"Oh! I know! It was probably that demon prince! What's his name? You know... That guy! Tim? I wanna say Tim... Anyway, maybe it was him! I heard prince kisses can be powerful too!"

Marco sighed. "There was no kissing." he said, doing his very best to speak over the Buff Kids excited croaking. "I just- I just woke up on my own..."

The Buff Kids all shared the same look of disappointment. "Aw... That's no fun..." muttered one of them, while others sighed.

Marco playfully rolled his eyes. "...Sorry to disappoint..." he said, with a small smile. "...So, anyway... Where's Buff Frog? I can't imagine he'd let you guys visit all by yourselves..."

The Buff Kids perked up a little and began to blink and shrug in confusion.

"...Uh... We dunno. We kinda lost Papa after we ran into the puppies... See, they tried to chase us for a while, but then we totally turned the tables on 'em... And now... We are their _masters_." explained one of the Buff Kids, with a somewhat ominous glint in its eyes.

All of a sudden, a few of the laser puppies turned away from Eclipsa to look up at the Buff Kids to bark and yip.

The Buff Kid with the ominous glint in its eyes blinked a few times, before turning to face the Laser Puppies with an indignant look on its face. "...What? A _temporary_ mastership? Wait- You say you're under a long-term contract with the Princess? _Why_!?" the Buff Kid exclaimed.

The Puppies continued to bark and yip in response.

"Wha-... Because she _created_ you? What kinda dumb reasoning is that? You owe no debt to your creator! _NONE_!" bellowed the Buff Kid. As the puppies barked and yipped in response, the interaction between the single Buff Kid and the Laser Puppies quickly devolved into a loud argument. As both the Buff Kid and the Puppies grew louder and louder, a few of the other Buff Kids looked on with faces filled with concern- while the rest seemed content to hop up and down on Marco's bed, happily ignoring the commotion.

Marco sigh. "Nardia, stop arguing with the Laser Puppies... And hey, Puppies- What'd I say about lasering flammable stuff? Hm? That's right... I said not to..." he said. Nadia and the Laser Puppies paused for a moment and then turned away from each other in a huff. As he watched Nadia join the rest of the Buff Kids in hopping on his bed, Marco could feel a bright smile grace his features. They had all grown quite a bit in the time he had known them. In fact, it was rather surprising that the laser puppies were able to carry them on their backs so easily.

Eventually, Marco's gaze fell on to one Buff Kid in particular. And Marco couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw her laughing along with her siblings.

"Anastasia."

Anastasia froze at the sound her name. Turning away from her siblings, she noticed Marco gesturing for her to come closer. As she made her way toward Marco, she kept her gaze trained on the bedsheets under her feet. He movements were timid and slow. When she finally stopped and looked up into Marco's smiling face, tears began to well up in her eyes.

As Marco sat up on the bed, part of the bed sheets covering him up had fallen into his lap. Apparently, Marco hadn't noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt quite yet- and when he did, he would no doubt blush and sputter with embarrassment. For now, though, he chest was bare for all to see. And Anastasia had never seen him look so... Frail.

There were several ugly bruises spread across his torso, especially around his ribs. There was also a thick bandage taped to his side, and several long bandages wrapped around his right arm. His left arm was also heavily bruised, especially around his knuckles.

Marco's face appeared to have fared a lot better than the rest of his body- although he did still look a little weary, despite having slept for almost four days straight. However, his face hadn't been completely uninjured. There was a large cut over his left eye, and it was already beginning to form into a rather noticeable scar. If Marco had gotten the opportunity to look into a mirror or something, he would have been immediately reminded of the scar he had received during his time back in Heckapoo's dimension. The scar ran over the very same eye, and when it fully healed, it would no doubt look exactly the same as it did on his 'adult' body.

A strange coincidence, to be sure.

As Anastasia observed Marco, her eyes slowly shifted from the bruises to the bandages, and then back to the scar forming over his eye. As she looked at his injuries, she felt a lump form in her throat. And her tiny features began to tremble lightly.

"I-... I'm so... So sorry..." whispered Anastasia, her voice quivering as she spoke. All of a sudden Marco gently scooped her up in his hands and brought her up to his face.

"...Your eye looks a lot better." said Marco, with a warm smile. "Thank goodness. I guess you guys heal a little quicker than us 'hu'-mans, huh?"

Anastasia looked up into Marco's warm, caring gaze and then lowered her eyes. "...I'm sorry..." she muttered, again. Her voice barely above a whisper. "You-... You got hurt... But I-... I mean..." Anastasia trailed off for a moment, as she struggled to find the right words. "...I'm so sorry... It's all my fault..."

"Hey." said Marco, his voice soft but firm. "That's not true. Not even a little."

Anastasia gave a slight sniggle. "B-but..." she muttered.

"No. The only person responsible for the shape I'm in is me. And that jerk knight, I guess... But either way- I'm the one responsible for the actions I take. And that includes getting into fights and stuff." said Marco. "...I probably should've tried to think of another way... Honestly, I didn't really plan on getting into a big fight or anything... But when it happened... I didn't really try very hard to stop it. I-... I could've backed down... Or tried to figure out some other way to handle it... And you know- I really should have. Especially if I wanna try and set a good example for you guys..."

"...In the end, I got myself injured because I wasn't smart enough to think of another way to resolve everything... Instead, I got into a really dangerous fight. I mean-... I knew that there was nothing I could say or do to make that guy even feel a single shred of remorse... That guy... He wasn't capable of that kind of thing. I could recognize it right away... The kind of bully he was... But even still. I wanted to get him to apologize. Even if it wasn't genuine- and there's no way it'd be anything else with that guy... At least then, it'd be... something."

"...Something to show you that you don't need to be scared of those kinds of people... People who're just mired in their own hate... They're not worthy of your fear. Or anyone else's. And if you come across more jerks and bullies like that... And unfortunately, you probably will... Well, just remember that you'll always have me, Kelly, your father and all of your siblings right beside you to help. In any way we can. Don't... Don't try and hide your pain away from the people who care about you, Anastasia. No matter what, always remember... We'll always be there to listen. And we'll always be there to help. And y'know... We're happy to do it. Because... That's what friends and family are for."

Anastasia looked up at Marco with big, watery eyes and gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. Marco gave her another warm smile as he gently placed her down on the blanket in front of him and gently placed his hand on her head.

"Come on now... I'm fine, I promise. I get injured and stuff all the time, trust me..." muttered Marco.

While Marco had been speaking, Eclipsa had somehow managed to calm the conflict between Nadia and the Laser Puppies. And now, she was coaching the Buff Kids and the Laser Puppies in a game of Polo on Marco's bedroom floor. The Buff Kids were wearing little jockey uniforms, waving around tiny wooden mallets as they each rode atop an excited Laser Puppy. The Laser Puppies were all wearing what could only be described as 'puppy saddles'. Eclipsa appeared to be not only taking on the role of puppy polo coach, but she was also acting as referee. At least, that's what it looked like- judging from the black and white striped shirt she was now wearing. And the oversized silver whistle. And the eye black.

Marco couldn't help but smile when he glanced over at the shenanigans transpiring on his bedroom floor. For the first time since he had met her, Eclipsa was wearing a truly genuine smile. Her eyes still sparkled with the same hint of mischievousness, but it was colored by a tremendous affection.

'...She really does love monsters...' thought Marco, as he watched her play with the Buff Kids and the Laser Puppies. Every gesture she made and every word she spoke was being handled with an incredible amount of grace and care. She even appeared to be holding back on her affection a little, in an effort not to make the young Buff Kids uncomfortable. Despite the fact that it seemed to be taking every ounce of self-control she had not to just pinch the Buff Kids cheeks and coo for hours on end.

The Buff Kids seemed fairly comfortable with Eclipsa. Thanks no doubt to the fact that the Laser Puppies appeared to trust her completely. It probably helped that, unlike the average Mewman, Eclipsa had marks on her cheeks. Making her seem different enough from the people that they had been recently made wary of... And reminding them instead, if only a little, of Star.

"I'm really glad you're all okay..." said Marco, as he turned his attention back to Anastasia. The genuine warmth radiating in both his words and his features was enough to make Anastasia slowly wipe the tears from her face and flash him a small smile of her own.

"Hm... I wonder where Buff Frog got too... If you guys got separated then, I hope I he didn't wind up getting himself lost or something..." muttered Marco.

As if on cue, Buff Frog suddenly appeared at the doorway, covered in slimy sweat and breathing heavily. "Ooh... I am very much needing to work on the 'cardio'... So many stairs..." he wheezed, as he struggled to pull himself together. As he leaned against the doorway, Kelly suddenly pupped up by his side. "See- I told you they'd be here. The Laser Puppies were just taking them on a shortcut, that was all..." she said, as she slipped past Buff Frog and entered the room.

"Hey, Buff Kids! Hey, Puppies! Hey-" Kelly's voice suddenly stopped in her throat as her eyes fell upon the woman crouching down to instruct the Buff Kids and the Puppies. The woman was wearing a what appeared to be a referee's outfit. Along with a cap that had the words 'Puppy Froggy Polo Team' stitched across the front. Kelly stared at the woman for a moment. For some reason, she seemed... Familiar. Her presence filled her chest with an odd sense of foreboding...

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Marco sitting up in bed- wide awake. And in an instant, all of her other thoughts disappeared. And Kelly wasted to time whatsoever in racing over to him.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, as she wrapped her arms around Marco and gave him a tight squeeze. Anastasia had barely managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid being ensnared by Kelly's powerful arms. Marco could barely even let out a surprised wheeze, as his entire face was quickly muffled by tufts of Kelly's hair.

"Eh? Ah! It is being true! Karate Boy is being recovered from his 'coma-rizing'!" Buff Frog exclaimed, before rushing over to wrap his bulky arms around both Marco and Kelly.

Sensing a pattern in what was happening, the Buff Kids were quick to respond. "HUG WAAAR!" they exclaimed, as they jumped up onto Marco's bed again and began to pile up on top of Buff Frog. A series of excited barks and ups soon followed. And before long, Marco found himself being smothered all over again.

"Ugh! Not again! ...Ack! Pain! Suffering! _Squeezing_! ...Too... Much... Hug!" exclaimed Marco, his voice mostly muffled by Kelly's hair.

Upon hearing Marco's muffled protests, Kelly let go of Marco and moved backward, causing a small commotion as the Buff Family and the Laser Puppies were pushed backward along with her. "Whoops- Sorry about that. Didn't mean to crush you. Or start another Hug War." said Kelly, as she adjusted her glasses and flashed Marco a smile.

"It's fine..." said Marco, as he struggled to recover from yet another potentially fatal hugging incident. After taking a few shallow breaths, he returned Kelly's smile with one of his own. "It's great to see you again, Kelly." he said, before turning his gaze to Buff Frog, who was currently being helped up off the floor by the Buff Kids and Eclipsa. "And you too, Buff Frog. I'm glad you're feeling better." he continued.

Buff Frog blinked and rubbed his head in confusion. "Eh? Vat are you-... Oh! Yes... Kelly's medicine worked many wonders on my sickness... I woke the next morning feeling like a brand new frog!" he exclaimed, as he proudly puffed out his chest.

Marco smiled. "That's good to hear..." he said, before shifting himself around a little to make himself comfortable.

As Buff Frog turned toward the Buff Kids to give them a long lecture about running off with their new canine friends, Anastasia suddenly hopped up on to Marco's shoulder and gave him a tiny peck on the cheek, whispered a quick 'thank you' in his ear, and then jumped down to join her siblings.

"Your welcome, Anastasia. I mean it." muttered Marco, as he watched her hop away.

Turning his attention toward Kelly, Marco gave a small cough. "...So, uh... Do you think you could catch me up on what happened after I, uh... Fell unconscious? Almost everything is fuzzy except for the whole 'knife-removing' bit. And, uh... Star showing up..." muttered Marco. "Everything after that is just kinda... Blank."

Kelly nodded. "Sure... But, uh- first... Do you think you could tell me what that woman dressed like a referee is doing here? Is she like, the Mime's sister or something? Maybe an understudy?" she asked.

"Oh, I wish." said Eclipsa, as she leaned into their conversation- causing Kelly to jump and let out a surprised gasp. "I'm not nearly talented enough to be an understudy to that Mime... At least, not in the art of entertainment." she continued, ignoring Kelly's surprised reaction to her sudden intrusion.

Marco breathed a small sigh. "...Kelly. Meet Eclipsa, the Queen of Darkness. Eclipsa, this is Kelly. She's a good friend of me and Star's." he said.

Kelly gasped, and her eyes practically bugged out of her skull- so much so that they threatened to push her glasses off of her face. Eclipsa, meanwhile, looked simply delighted.

"Oh! So you're Kelly!" she exclaimed. "I see! You must be the 'Shrubbery Aunt' that the little frog children mentioned... Oh! And I suppose that's also your face up there on that 'Tremendous Trio' shirt... And in the photograph on Marco's desk..." she continued.

As Eclipsa spoke, Kelly simply stared at her, her jaw slightly agape.

"It is simply wonderful to meet you." said Eclipsa, as she took Kelly's hand in her own and shook it enthusiastically. "I've been under 'tower arrest' for quite some time now... So, I'm afraid I've not had the chance to acquaint myself with many of Star's little friends. Save for Mister Diaz, of course."

Kelly blinked several times and then gave a slow nod. "...Uh... Huh." she muttered. "It's, uh-... It's nice to meet you too. I've-... I've heard a lot about you. Mostly just... Stories..."

Eclipsa smiled. "Is that so? And here I was under the impression that my existence had been entirely scrubbed from history!" she exclaimed, her tone oddly excited. "Tell me, what kind of stories are they? Are they mostly... Apocalyptic?"

Marco frowned a little. As Eclipsa spoke, he noticed something off about her smile. It was no longer genuine. In fact, it seemed almost... Angry.

"...I guess..." muttered Kelly. "But... more than anything, they're usually just... Sad."

Eclipsa paused for a moment. And for a split second, her ever-present smile seemed to falter. "...I see. Then I suppose... Perhaps... A greater portion of the trust may have survived than I initially believed..." she muttered. Eclipsa seemed to take a moment to consider something, before quietly shaking her head and allowing her usual smile to once again grace her features. "Oh, but just listen to me prattling on about myself!" she exclaimed. "I do apologize. Please, Kelly- do go on. You were going to tell Marco about all of the things he's missed during his time asleep... Correct?"

"Uh... Yeah." muttered Kelly.

"Well then, by all means... Do continue." said Eclipsa, with an encouraging smile.

Kelly stared at her for a moment, before slowly turning her attention back to Marco. "...Okay. So. After Star showed up, the riot in the stadium wound up calming down pretty quickly. Star was... Well, she was pretty angry. And I think everyone there could feel it. I certainly did." said Kelly, as she sat herself down on the side of Marco's bed. "...She was... Well, she was pretty hysterical for a little while... I think... I think she thought you were... Dead. And it kinda took a whole lot of effort from me and Sir Lavabo to convince her otherwise."

"Yes... I could feel the ripples of magical power all the way from my tower that night... It was quite a surprise." added Eclipsa.

Kelly gave a slow nod. "...Yeah. For a second there, I thought she was gonna bring the whole stadium down..." she muttered. "...Anyway- Tom showed up pretty soon after that... And he helped to calm her down... At least a little. Eventually, we managed to scoop you up onto Cloudy and get you to an emergency room. They cleaned you up and stuff... Mostly with Flesh-Maggots, Blood-Freakers, and other slimy insects..."

Marco grimaced. "Okay, I think you can skip that stuff..." he muttered.

Kelly shrugged. "Alright. Well, long story short- I wound up bringing my parents in to take over for the Mewman doctors... And it was a good thing, too- 'Cuz I'm pretty sure they were about to start putting you into the cobra baths..." she said.

Marco shuddered again and made a mental note to thank Kelly's parents for sparing him from the horrors of Mewman medicine.

All of sudden, Kelly gave a sharp gasp. "Oh! That reminds me!" she exclaimed, before plunging her hand into her hair. After rummaging around for a while, she eventually retrieved something from within the deep depths of her hair. It looked at first glance like an old, blue blanket. Folded into a neat rectangle.

Marco recognized in an instant. "...My cape..." he muttered.

Kelly flashed Marco a grin. "Yeah- Lavabo cleaned and repaired it himself." she said, as she carefully unfolded the cape. "Here..." muttered Kelly, as she carefully handed the cape to Marco.

Marco took the cape and stared at it for a moment, his expression oddly wistful. There were a few long lines of stitches spread out across the cape, and the singed edges had been trimmed away. There were no traces of blood left over, either. Not even a single patch of discoloration. Both the repairs and the cleaning had been so skillfully done, that the cape looked almost as good as new.

"...Thanks..." he muttered, as he slowly set the cape down in front of him.

Kelly grinned. "But that's not all!" she announced, as she swiftly plunged her hand into her hair once more and retrieved a familiar pair of scissors.

"My dimensional scissors!" Marco exclaimed, his voice filled with joy and relief. "Thank goodness you found them! I was worried I'd lost them forever..."

Kelly's smile widened as she handed him the dimensional scissors. "It kinda took a while to find the guy who took your clothes and stuff... After a whole bunch of 'sleuthing', I wound up tracking one of Jerkius' followers to an all you can eat restaurant... I found him wearing your hoodie as a bib and using your scissors as a fork." said Kelly. "He put up a fight at first, but... Well- let's just say he had no idea what he was gettin' himself into."

"I'll bet..." said Marco, with a soft chuckle. "...Thanks Kelly. I really appreciate it. These scissors... They mean a lot to me. I dunno what I'd do if I lost them..."

"It was no problem." said Kelly, with a smile. "Anyway... Back to the whole 'recap' thing... I think this might count as a sort of 'Good News/Bad News' kinda deal..." she continued. "...I think I'll go with the 'bad news' first... So, during all of the chaos back in the stadium... Jerkius... Well, he managed to slip away. And... Unfortunately... No one's seen any trace of him since."

Marco frowned and clenched his teeth. "...I see..." he muttered.

"The good news is that since you won your battle against him, and he refused to follow up on his side of the deal and apologize to Anastasia... He was kicked out of the Royal Knights." said Kelly.

Marco blinked in surprise. "...Really?" he muttered.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah. Really. Queen Moon had to give a royal decree and everything... It was pretty big news. " she said. "...Of course, some people protested and stuff... Some of them claimed that Jerkius was only being thrown out because he'd beaten up the Princesses Royal Squire. ...But when Jerkius failed to show up to object... It began to seem like he'd already fled out of shame. That kinda put a damper on the protests and stuff. Of course, there are still some people out there who think you cheated somehow... Especially among Jerkius' most loyal followers... But... From what I heard from Higgs, that Squire girl... A bunch of the knights are actually kinda relieved he's gone. In fact- I heard that some people even suggested having you take his place among the Royal Knights- although I'm pretty sure that's still a fairly controversial idea."

Marco frowned. "...So... He's still out there?" he muttered, his tone rather grim. "...And not just him... But his followers, too?"

"Uh-huh. But it's okay, Karate Uncle."

Marco blinked and turned to find the Buff Family and the Buff Kids all sitting together on the floor beside his bed, looking like they had just bunched themselves together for 'story time'. Among the group, Anastasia rose her voice.

"...Star granted all of us a special royal protection. So from now on, none of those Royal KNight guys are allowed anywhere near out swamp." said Anastasia.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "How'd she manage that?" he muttered.

This time, Buff Frog spoke. "...Apparently, it was being something that she had been working on for some time... Ever since I was helping the Queen during the 'Toffee' incident... Also, with me being the Royal Monster Expert... And Karate Boy fighting on my families behalf... All of this was being more than enough to not only be convincing not only the Queen... But the Royal Council as well." he said. "...Is first time a Monster had been given such treatment in a very long time... We were given special 'seal of protection' and everything..."

Kelly nodded. "...Yeah. Apparently, Sir Lavabo and Lady Demonicus spoke to the Royal Council personally to make sure it happened... And with them standing alongside the Queen... Well, they couldn't really make a big fuss about it." she said. "And since Jerkius reneged on his side of the deal... Well, you had to be given something for your victory. Otherwise, apparently, the honor of the Royal Knights would be forever tarnished... Or something like that. In the end, even the council members who were loyal to Jerkius wound up having to agree."

"Yeah! And it that dumb Jerky guy or whatever he's called shows up near our swamp again, then we'll all just fight him off together! Just like you did!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids.

"YEAH!" bellowed the rest, including Anastasia, at the top of their lungs.

The loud cheers of the Buff Kid were quickly joined by a chorus of excited barking from the Laser Puppies. Kelly grinned. "Yeah... And I'll be there too. And so will Star." she added.

Marco smiled. "...Yeah. And so will I. I promise." he said.

As the Buff Kids began loudly discussing their plans for a new self-defense training regimen with Kelly and Marco, Buff Frog appeared lost in thought. His head flippers gave a slight quiver as he frowned and rubbed his chin. Eclipsa, meanwhile, was watching over the scene with a bright, sincere smile. However, as time went on, her smile slowly began to fade.

All of a sudden, she felt Glossaryk jump up and grab her shirt. Clinging desperately to the cloth, Glossaryk wasted no time in scrambling upward and perching himself on her shoulder. Both his beard and his tunic were lightly singed- thanks no doubt to the Laser Puppies. Eclipsa spared Glossaryk a glance and breathed a small sigh.

"...This is such a lovely little scene, Gloss..." she muttered. "It's just... Well, it's quite sad that Star isn't here to enjoy it along with them... Isn't it?"

Glossaryk blinked with one eye and then the other and then cocked his head to the side. "...Globgor?" he muttered. Eclipsa gave the little blue man a soft smile before reached her hand up to her shoulder to give Glossaryk a gentle scratch on the chin.

"Er... I am liking your pet. Is very... Unique."

Eclipsa blinked in surprise as she turned her attention away from Glossaryk, to find Buff Frog standing in front of her, looking a little nervous. Eclipsa's smile quickly widened at the sight of him. "Yes. He certainly is." she said, giving Glossaryk a gentle pat atop the head.

Buff Frog kept his eyes trained on Glossryk for a moment, before quietly clearing his throat. "Er- Anyway... My name is Yvgeny Bulgolyubov. It is being very nice to meet you, Miss... Er... 'Puppy Polo Coach'..." he said, as he offered his hand to shake.

Eclipsa happily took his hand and shook it enthusiastically. "It is a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance, Mister Bulgolyubov. I've heard a little bit about you from Star and your children... I must say, your young ones are such remarkable little free spirits... Each one brilliant in their own unique way. You must be very proud." she said.

Buff Frog smiled. "Yes. They are being my pride and joy. My whole world." he said. "Thank you for giving them the gift of your hospitality."

"Oh, it was my absolute pleasure. It's not every day that I've the opportunity to meet such wonderfully precocious youngsters..." said Eclipsa, her eyes growing somewhat wistful as she shifted her gaze toward the Buff Kids, and then back to Buff Frog. "...It is most heartening to see that even though very little seems to have truly changed since my time... There are still monsters out there who are able to find such joy in this world..."

Buff Frog gave a small nod. "...Yes, I fell this well." he muttered, as he too glanced over at the Buff Kids. "...Although... Some part of me is still feeling a deep sense of... Dread. I-... I cannot help but be afraid that... As they are growing up, and losing this youthful joy... That their experiences with the bitterness of reality may shape them into... Well-... Something like I was being at that age... Angry. And... _Foolish_."

Buff Frog breathed a heavy sigh. "...Now... They have been given a glimpse of the darker corners of their existence as 'monsters'... I had been wanting to shelter them from this... But now... It is too late..." he muttered. "...I suppose, in the end, everything has been working out okay... But... I still fear for the future..."

There was a brief pause as Buff Frog once again lost himself in thought. Then, Buff Frog gave a light gasp, as if he had only just realized that he had been speaking out loud. With a small, awkward cough, Buff Frog quietly turned his gaze to the floor, looking embarrassed. "Ah. Sorry. I was not meaning to be suddenly blurting out my worries like this..." he muttered.

Eclipsa smiled as she gently placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Oh, no- Don't you worry a bit. I know what it's like to have a world of worries swirling around inside... Especially when it comes to the future of those you care about. It can be quite... Excruciating." she said.

Buff Frog slowly moved his eyes up from the floor to meet Eclipsa's gaze. When their eyes met, Buff Frog noticed a flicker of intense emotion deep within Eclipsa's greyish purple eyes. He recognized it in an instant. It was pain. And somehow... He recognized it as a pain that he was intimately familiar with. A deep pain radiating from experience in the past, mixed with an intense anxiety for the future. A dark mixture of sadness, bitterness, worry... Even loneliness. Along with a deep and profound sense of regret.

Somehow, at that moment, it felt as if they suddenly understood each other completely. Both had pain etched deep into their very being... And in that moment, they were able to recognize it in each other's eyes. Immediately, an odd kind of bond was formed. It felt strange, yet also somehow profound.

The moment was fleeting, but it felt meaningful all the same.

Silence hung over the two of them for a little while, until Buff Frog finally broke it by awkwardly clearing his throat. "... ... It is being good to share such things. ...Thank you." he said.

Eclipsa smiled. "Of course." she said, before turning her attention back to the Buff Kids. "...Yes, unfortunately... All we can do for young ones out there is to be there to support them... And try not to get yourself frozen in crystal for a few hundred years. Trust me... That really doesn't help..."

Buff Frog raised an eyebrow and scratched his head. "Er... Okay. I will be remembering that." he said.

Eclipsa went quiet for a moment. Eventually, seemed to falter as she breathed a long, heavy sigh. "...It's so very difficult to believe in the future. To look at it with an air of optimism... At times, it can feel outright foolish." she said. "And in all honesty... I very well might be. Foolish, I mean. ...Still, I endeavor to believe in the generation we leave behind. And hoper that they manage to learn from the mistakes of the past... From the errors of their elders... And work together to build something truly wonderful. ...If there is any hope worth believing in... I think it is that one."

Buff Frog gave a slow nod and a short sigh. "...Yes. I am believing in this as well... I-... I am sure that they will rise up together, to meet any challenge that is coming their way." he said. "...But. My heart is remaining heavy... Because I know of the damage these challenges can leave behind... And... I am just wishing that they didn't have to go through such... Pain."

"Yes... Unfortunately, those challenges remain a fundamental part of what it means to exist... And quite often, it can be truly painful. Even overwhelming. ...There is some beauty in it, I suppose. ...At times, I've even been able to appreciate it." said Eclipsa. "...It is quite fascinating... Even beautiful, in a detached kind of way... To observe they way pain shapes so many people... Strengthening some, and destroying others."

Once again, Buff Frog scratched his head. "...Er- I am not knowing about all that..." he muttered. "But what I _am_ knowing... Is that if someone like me can survive and find happiness... Then so can everyone else. I am sure. Yes, it is often involving luck... But... It is being out there. And the only way to truly lose sight of it... Is to stop looking."

Eclipsa smiled. "...A wonderful sentiment." she said.

A comfortable silence fell between them. Quickly broken by the sounds of uproarious laughter from Marco, Kelly and the Buff Kids. The Laser Puppies happily barked and yipped alongside them, not wanting to be left out as Dimitri stood on the bed, entertaining the group with his newest batch of 'frog jokes'.

Eclipsa gave a soft chuckle. "Oh, that's right... Little Dimitri did mention that he had a little routine prepared..." she said. "Why don't we lighten the mood a little with some 'froggy humor'... Shall we, Mister Bulgolyubov?"

Buff Frog smiled. "...Please, you can be calling me 'Buff Frog'." he said.

"Thank you, 'Buff Frog'. You can call me 'Eclipsa'. Many people insist on calling me by my full title of 'Queen of Darkness' and such... But I was never one for such formalities." said Eclipsa.

Buff Frog blinked. "Er-... Wait. 'Queen of Darkness'? For some reason... This is sounding oddly familiar. And... Kind of ominous." he muttered.

A Buff Frog scratched his head in a state of mild confusion, Eclipsa quietly sat down on the floor beside the bed and quickly began laughing along with everyone else. Soon enough, Buff Frog gave a simple shrug and then sat down beside her to join his friends and family in their revelry.

As time wore on, Marco's room was filled with the sounds of laughter. And as Eclipsa snorted and snickered along with everyone else, she felt an incredible flood of warmth wash over her. It had been a very long time since the Queen of Darkness had enjoyed herself like this. It was like a party. But even as she enjoyed the jovial feeling in the air, she still could help but feel a slight twinge of sadness.

The image of Marco, Kelly and the Buff Family joyfully enjoying each others company was utterly delightful. But for Eclipsa... It still felt as though there was something missing. Or some _one_.

* * *

Star Butterfly gave a long, weary yawn as she leaned back in her chair, teetering backward ever so slightly. After staring off into space for a moment, she quietly picked up her pencil and began balancing it on her nose. Time was passing at a mind-numbing crawl. And all she could think to do in order to relieve the tedium was to shift her gaze toward the pencil as it gently swayed on the bridge of her nose.

Amidst the myriad bite marks that decorated the pencils surface, the words 'Property of Marco Diaz' were scrawled across the side. Star blinked a few times when she noticed the familiar handwriting. Frowning ever so slightly, Star slowly leaned forward in her chair as she felt her chest suddenly tighten. With a small sigh, Star quickly removed the pencil and turned her attention toward her surroundings.

She was sitting at a small wooden desk in a dull, little room somewhere in Butterfly Castle. Her mother was standing a short distance in front of her, reading aloud from the large book she held in her hands titled 'The Grand History of Royal Cutlery'. Behind her, there stood an enormous blackboard. As Moon spoke, words slowly faded into existence across the blackboards surface in big white letters. It was mostly a collection of various names and dates that Star was supposed to either memorize or write down somewhere. But at the moment, Star wasn't in the mood to do either.

Star breathed another heavy sigh as she leaned over and put her head down on her desk. As she did so, she lost her grip on the pencil. It landed rather noisily on the floor, but it wasn't quite loud enough to distract Moon. She had just reached a section on doilies, and for some reason, she seemed completely absorbed by it.

Star gave a quiet groan. Her current predicament reminded her of the long hours she had spent at 'school' during her time on Earth. Only somehow, this felt even more boring. Possibly because she didn't have Janna around to pass notes with. During their time at school, Janna had taught her all kinds of different note passing techniques. Including techniques involving paper planes- which were always the most fun. Even if they did make it a whole lot easier to get caught. Especially during those time when they both got a little carried away.

Star could still vividly remember the look Marco had given her when she sent an enormous paper 'blimp' to Janna. It probably would've worked out if the blimp hadn't suddenly exploded in the air. Miss Skullnick probably would've given her a lifetimes worth of detention for that... Luckily, she had been asleep at the time. How she had managed to sleep through the explosion was anyone'guess.

Sometimes, Star and Janna would use other methods to trade notes. Such as setting up slingshots or even catapult systems on their desks, in order to five their paper takeoffs a little extra flair. Of course, they had both managed to get a little carried away from time to time. Like the time that Janna used a bottle rocket to launch a note. Or the time Star somehow managed to launch her entire desk into the ceiling. Sometimes, all the various notes and paper planes would wind up getting stuck in Marco's hair somehow. And he would usually fail to notice until lunch break- or sometimes even later.

Then there was the time that Star and Janna's paper creations had suddenly sprung to life and tried to take over the school. It had taken the whole afternoon for Star and Marco to finally put a stop to the newly formed paper army. And they had both managed to receive quite a few paper cuts in the process. Apparently, all of the paper that Star and Janna had used for note passing that day had been ripped out of an old, creepy looking book that Janna had found at a garage sale. Of course, Star's wand hadn't exactly helped matters much.

Passing notes wasn't the only thing that Star did to pass her time during class. During her stay on Earth, she had come up with a wide array of ideas and techniques to effectively beat her boredom. And only about half of them had resulted in the near destruction of the school.

As she recalled those chaotic memories of her time in Echo Creek, Star couldn't help but smile.

Thinking back to the time she had spent living in the Diaz household, going to school and going out on adventures across the dimensions... Those memories never failed to bring a smile to her face. The memories she had made at Echo Creek were some of the most precious things his her entire life. And they would always hold a special place in her heart.

Even some of the sadder memories... Like the night she lost her spellbook. Or the night of the big Love Sentance Concert. Or the night she left Earth with the intention of never coming back.

Star bit her lip. The pain of those particular memories was still vivid enough that it made her flinch a little.

The memories she had made in Echo Creek were incredibly powerful. The time she had spent there had fundamentally changed her. And the biggest reason for that... Was Marco.

Star winced a little, as she felt a sharp jab on pain in her chest.

Her time in Echo Creek had truly changed her. She could feel it. It had given her place where she felt like she truly belonged. Something that she had never quite gotten during her time roaming the halls of Butterfly Castle as a little girl. And it had opened her eyes to some of the injustices of her homeland. And it had given her the confidence to start believing that she might really have the power to change things for the better.

And for the first time in her life, she felt as if she had taken an important step toward truly accepting her role as princess.

She had always thought that to be impossible. For as long as she could remember, she always thought that she would either keep avoiding and resisting the burdens of being a princess for as long as she lived. Or, she would wind up finding herself forced into it somehow. She had never dreamed that she would begin to take on the responsibility herself. It had always felt far too daunting. And some part of her had always believed that if she tried, she would just mess everything up. As she so often did.

Those thoughts still nagged at her from time to time. But recently... They had become a lot quieter. Part of that was because she no longer saw her princess duties as something to be intimidated by. Instead, they were mere challenges. Challenges that she would happily take on for the cause of making Mewni a better place for Mewman and Monster alike. Of course, it helped that she had her friends helping out along the way. Especially Tom. He had been an amazing partner during the last few months. It felt like they were on a journey together. To figure out how to be the best future rulers they could be.

And of course... Having Marco around had been a tremendous help as well. He had been an incredibly reliable shoulder to lean on, even during her princess duties and her studies. He was easily the single greatest Squire in history, and Star would vehemently argue with anyone who said otherwise. But recently... Something had changed between them. Something deep.

She had done her very best to pretend that it wasn't there. To pretend that everything was fine. That nothing would ever stop them from being friends.

Then... She had been given a wake-up call. In the form of a thistlemoe crown. And she had been forced to face the reality that Marco... Wasn't happy. And she had no idea what to do, or how to help. And worse... He didn't seem to want to let her.

Things went on like that for a while. Then, she all of sudden, she found herself hovering over his battered and bloody form... Staring in shock, horror, and disbelief. When Kelly had relayed the story of what had happened, Star had gone through a wide range of emotions. But more than anything, she felt... Hurt. Hurt because Marco hadn't reached out to her for help that night. Or even earlier... Like when he first began to feel the way he did.

Instead, he had only revealed that to her under the influence of a magical crown. Would he have ever told her of his own volition? Or... Was he planning to just keep it inside forever? Why?

The question had been plaguing her ever since that night. But in the time since then... She hadn't asked him that question. Not since the first time, when she had pleaded with him from outside his bedroom door.

Part of the reason that she hadn't broached the subject again was that she was mad at him. Mad at him for keeping his feelings a secret. And for refusing to tell her the truth, even when she begged him to. Of course, some part of her was also afraid to hear the answer.

For a while now, Marco and Star had stopped talking to each other almost entirely. And it had become so painful that she had begun to bury herself in her princess duties as deeply as possible. Doing her very best to distract herself by putting her mind on something else. She had even started taking on extra lessons from her mother. Which was why she was currently sitting at that desk.

Star breathed yet another long, heavy sigh. Deep down, she knew that avoiding the problem wasn't going to help anything. And Marco getting injured had served as a tremendous wake-up call. She couldn't let things go on like this. So... The very second he woke up... She was going to ask him that question. And she was going to face the truth... No matter what it was.

"Star?"

At the sound of her name, Star quickly sat up at attention. Unfortunately, she moved with a little too much force, sending her falling backwards in her chair. She landed with a loud 'thud' and wasted no time in scrambling to her feet and getting back into her chair. Moon watched with a slightly curved brow as Star did her very best to act naturally as she faced her mother with a flustered smile.

"Uh- Yes?" she asked.

Moon closed her book and breathed a soft sigh. "...I'm sorry." she muttered. "I should've known that you wouldn't find doilie history quite as fascinating as I did when I was your age..."

Star shook her head. "No, no- It's fine, Mom. I was just-... I mean... My brains just a little stuck on... Other stuff." she said, doing her best to form a convincing smile. "Go ahead... I- uh... I love doilie stuff! You know me! I'm uh-... I'm all about doilies!"

Moon gave her daughter a small, playful smile. "Oh, I see... Then I suppose you recall who invented them?" she asked.

Star scratched her head as she struggled to think for a moment. "Uuh... Uuuuuh... Was it... Doilie... MacDoilieson?" she muttered.

"...Lucky guess." said Moon.

"O-oh... Cool... Cool, cool, cool..." muttered Star, as she slowly shifted her gaze down toward her desk.

An awkward silence hung over the room, as neither one of them seemed to know what exactly to say next. Eventually, Moon awkwardly cleared her throat. "...Is there... I mean-... Star... Would you... Perhaps... Like to talk about... What's bothering you?" she asked, her voice subtly betraying her nerves. The prospect of speaking to her daughter about things outside of her role as a future Queen still felt somewhat alien to her. And it made her feel... Awkward. And the fact that she could feel that way about speaking to her own daughter filled her with a profound sense of shame and guilt.

"...No. I mean-... It's not really important..." muttered Star.

Moon bit her lip and frowned a little. "...Star." she muttered, as she struggled desperately to think of what to say to her teenage daughter. Eventually, she sat her book down on a nearby desk and walked over to Star with a determined look on her face.

"Star." she said, her voice brimming with a familiar authoritative tone. Star looked up from her desk with a confused look on her face, and Moon quickly felt her resolve falter. Doing her best to push past her nerves, Moon cleared her throat and focused her attention on Star.

"...Are you still worried about Marco?" she asked.

Star flinched a little, and then slowly moved her gaze back to her desk. Eventually, she gave a small nod. "...Yeah." she muttered.

Moon gave her daughter a soft, sympathetic smile. "Did you visit him this morning?" she asked.

Star gave a slow nod, followed quickly by a loud yawn. "...Yeah. I was kinda... Keeping an eye on him... For a while before..." she muttered. "...I was sure that... At any moment... He was gonna wake up... But-... He didn't. Again."

Moon breathed a small sigh. "Oh, Star... Did you watch over him all night? Again?" she asked. "...I told you, you must stop doing that. It's bad for your health... And you need your rest. Besides- you know the old saying... 'A watched coma patient never awakens'."

Star thought for a moment and then frowned. "...That's a kinda messed up saying..." she muttered.

"Yes, well- Most of the old Mewman sayings have that air about them. Like 'Birds of a feather get turned into pillows'... Or 'The early bird is eaten by the worm'... Hmm... Now that I think of it, an awful lot of them deal with birds..." said Moon, as she rubbed her chin in thought. "...It might be a good idea not to use any of those in front of the Rich Pidgeons... In fact, I should probably mention that to your father."

Star gave a slow nod, followed quickly by another loud yawn.

"...Perhaps it would be best if we just skip the lesson for today." said Moon. "It might be best if you use the time to rest instead. Besides, you've been doing very well with your studies recently... And your princess duties... I think you've earned a break."

Star breathed a long, heavy sigh. "...I can't..." she muttered. "...I-... I just know that... If I stop... Even for a moment... Then I'll wind up getting distracted... Or-... Or I'll find a way to make everything worse... For everyone..."

As she spoke, Star's voice gave a slight tremble. And immediately, Moon felt an enormous swell of emotion rise up from deep within her. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Moon allowed herself to act on impulse as she leaned forward and wrapped her daughter up in her arms.

Initially, Star felt somewhat bewildered by her mother's sudden embrace. But as she was enveloped by her mother's familiar warmth, everything else seemed to fade away. After a brief pause, Star returned the embrace with a tight squeeze of her own. Neither of them seemed to be able to figure out exactly what to say next. So, they both simply remained in their quiet embrace. Both content to simply share a moment as mother and daughter, for the first time in too long.

Unfortunately, the moment did last very long- as the silence was soon interrupted by a loud, obnoxious ringing sound that seemed to be emanating from Star's skirt pocket. Both Moon and Star initially froze, before awkwardly pulling away from each other. Muttering a series of apologies under her breath, Star quickly fished her compact-phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. For a moment, she frowned, as she struggled to make out the message that had popped up on her screen.

The message displayed on her screen read 'Mrc0 iz aw8k!', followed by a flurry of emojis. It was obviously a text sent from Kelly. She was the only person Star knew who texted like that. When Ponyhead texted, she would only use emojis. No numbers and no letters allowed. Apparently, it was a strict rule or hers never to text in a way that was immediately intelligible. Tom only ever texted using a graphic that made it look like the letters were on fire. Unfortunately, it didn't always work- and it often turned his text messages into a completely garbled mess.

Kelly's texts were always a happy medium between incoherent and somewhat understandable. It took Star a moment to register what the text actually meant. But when she did, she immediately leaped out of her chair. Knocking the table over, and sending her chair careening backward. Star ignored both, as she looked up at her mother with tears of relief and joy forming in her eyes.

"He's awake! Mom! Marco's awake!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down and waving her compact phone around in the air.

"That's terrific!" Moon exclaimed, a flood of relief and joy evident in both her voice and her expression. "You'd better hurry along to greet him."

"Already on it!" exclaimed Star, as raced over to the door and swung it open so hard that it came flying off its hinges. Star moved like an unstoppable blur of energy. Watching her, Moon couldn't help but raise her eyebrows a little. Just moments ago, Star had seemed utterly defeated. And tired. And now... She was like a whole new person.

Moon watched with a smile as Star bellowed an indecipherable mess of words, before racing out the door and down the hall. Then, all of a sudden, Star sped back into the room to launch herself toward Moon with her arms outstretched. Star wrapped her arms around her mother and gave her a warm hug. "Thanks, Mom..." she said.

Moon returned the embrace with a glowing smile. Then, she watched with an amused look on her face as Star suddenly disappeared through the doorway once again.

As she sped through the hallways, Star felt an incredible burst of energy coursing through her veins.

'...This is it.' she thought. '...Today... We're gonna talk all this stuff out... And then-... Then everything's going to go back to normal.'

As she ran, a feeling of dread slowly crept over her. It was only small and easy enough to ignore. But it was still there. Lingering in the back of her mind. Star took a few shallow breaths as she turned a corner and slid down a banister.

'...Everythings going to be okay.' she told herself.

And at that moment, more than anything... She wanted to believe it. But somewhere, deep down inside... She wasn't so sure.

* * *

Marco breathed a small sigh as his gaze slowly wandered. The loud, chaotic energy that had filled his bedroom for the last few hours had finally begun to dissipate. By now the Buff Kids and the Laser Puppies were sitting in the middle of the room playing a card game. Glossaryk was taking a nap on the windowsill, while Eclipsa and Buff Frog sat by the closet, chatting amiably. Kelly, meanwhile, was sitting on the side of Marco's bed, quietly fiddling with her compact-phone.

A few minutes passed by.

Eventually, Kelly flipped her compact-phone shut and stashed it away in her hair. Turning her attention toward Marco, she breathed a soft sigh. "...I just texted Star." she said. "...So, she's probably gonna make a Star-shaped hole in the door any second now... Are you ready?"

Marco gave a small nod. "Yeah... I think so." he muttered.

Kelly smiled. "Good. I, uh... I already talked to Buff Frog... We kinda figured it might be a good idea for all of us to clear out and give you two a little... Space." she said.

As if on cue, a series of disappointed noises suddenly erupted from where the Buff Kids and Laser Puppies were sitting.

"Aww... But we don't _wanna_ go! Can't we just stay here for a little while longer?"

Buff Frog sighed as he stood in front of the group. As the Buff Kids croaked their protests, the Laser Puppies were quick to join in with a series of high pitched whines. "...I am sorry, little ones. But... Karate Boy is-... Well... He is needing his rest." he explained.

"But Karate Uncle just had, like, four whole days of resting! He's probably sick of it by now!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids.

"Yeah! It sounds to me more like you just want us outta the way or somethin'!" exclaimed another.

Buff Frog gave a nervous cough. "Eh? Vat? I don't-... I mean..." he sputtered.

Suddenly, Eclipsa appeared by his side, wearing a bright smile. "...Well, we just thought that you kids might want to play with the Laser Puppies out in the garden for a little while... Perhaps we'll even have some tea and cookies..." she said.

The Buff Kids collectively rubbed their chins as they all seemed to carefully consider Eclipsa's suggestion. Eventually, Katrina stepped out of the group with her arms folded across her chest. "...That sounds nice and all... But why can't Karate Uncle just come with us?" she asked. "I mean-... I'm sure he'd enjoy the fresh air... And the tea."

Eclipsa slowly knelt herself down to meet the Buff Kids at eye level, and flashed them a bright smile. "...Well, you see kids... The truth is... Star is actually headed this way as we speak, to see Marco... And we just thought it might be a nice idea to let them have their little reunion on their own... Don't you think?" she asked.

Katrina, along with a few other Buff Kids, seemed to consider this for a moment before breaking out in a series of tiny giggles. The rest of the Buff Kids, meanwhile, were left scratching their heads.

"...I don't get it. I mean-... It's not like we're gonna get in their way or anything..." muttered one of the Buff Kids, earning a scowl from one of the other Buff Kids.

"Of course you don't get it, Boris! You don't get _anything_!" exclaimed the scowling Buff Kid. "...Look- we're just gonna let 'em have some 'alone' time, okay?"

"But... What do they need to be alone for?"

"For... You know... Stuff..."

"What kinda 'stuff'?"

" _Stuff_ 'stuff'!"

As a few of the Buff Kids began to argue amongst themselves, Marco took a long, deep breath and sighed.

"...Are you nervous?" asked Kelly.

Marco thought for a moment, and then gave a small nod. "...To be honest, I am. But-... I need to do this. I-... I need to talk to her. I should've done it a long time ago..." he muttered.

Kelly gave him a sympathetic smile. "...Well, just remember... No matter what happens... We'll always be your friends, Marco Ubaldo Diaz. I promise." she said.

Marco smiled. "...Thanks, Kelly."

Eventually, the Buff Kids seemed to reach some kind of agreement amongst themselves. And so, the next few minutes were filled with hugs and well wishes as the Buff Kids and the Laser Puppies piled up on Marco's bed once more. This time, they moved with a little more care, and managed to avoid nearly crushing Marco's fragile body under their collective weight. Once they had broken away, the Buff Kids and Laser Puppies waved and smiled as they made their way out the door.

"Bye, Karate Uncle!"

"Hope you feel better real soon!"

"Yeah! And don't forget to say hi to Star for us!"

Marco smiled and happily returned their waves as he watched them walk out the door. As the Buff Kids and Laser Puppies made their way out into the hallway, Buff Frog walked over to Marco with a gentle smile on his face. "...Before I am going... I was just wanting to say... Again... Thank you, Karate Boy. For fighting for my family. And you as well, Shrubbery Girl." he said. "...I- ...I do not know if I can ever be repaying you two..."

Marco smiled. "Don't worry about it, Buff Frog. ...I'm just glad everything worked out okay." he said.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah... Me too." she added.

"Please remember to be visiting the swamp sometime, both of you... When Karate Boy has fully healed, of course." said Buff Frog. "...I shall be preparing you a special fancy dinner in your honor."

Marco smiled and nodded. "...Sure. Will do." he said.

Buff Frog gave Marco a small wave, before walking off to join the Buff Kids and Laser Puppies out in the hallway. As he watched Buff Frog leave the room, Marco breathed a wistful sigh. Noticing this, Kelly reached over and gave him a gentle, playful shove. "Hey. ...There's no need to be gettin' all sentimental. ...This-... This isn't a 'goodbye'. Okay?" she said.

Marco lowered his gaze and gave a small nod. "...Yeah." he muttered.

Kelly stared at him for a moment and then leaned forward to give him a quick hug. "...Until next time, Marco..." she muttered.

Marco smiled. "...Yeah. Until next time..." he muttered.

Once she had broken away, Kelly gave him a small wave before leaving the room. As he watched her leave, Marco felt a familiar surge of pain deep in his chest. Doing his best to ignore it, Marco suddenly noticed Eclipsa standing by the window. Marco watched her with a slightly raised eyebrow, as Eclipsa gently scooped up Glossaryk's sleeping form and set him down on her shoulder. Once Glossaryk was settled, she turned her attention back toward the window. Staring out at the horizon for a moment, she breathed a small sigh.

"...It's a lovely day out today..." she mused.

Silence hung in the air as Eclipsa stood in front of the window for just a moment longer. Then, she turned to face Marco with a soft, wistful smile on her face.

"...This _is_ a 'goodbye'... Isn't it?" she asked.

Marco didn't respond, but she didn't really need him to. The answer was written all over his face.

"...Well, then... I wish you all the best in you future endeavors, Marco Diaz." said Eclipsa, with a polite bow. "I hope that someday... Our paths might cross again."

Marco gave a small nod. "...Thanks. And-... I wish the same to you too, Eclipsa. Whatever crazy plans you may or may not have... I hope they work out for you. ...As long as they don't involve overthrowing the kingdom, or taking over the multiverse... Or something equally 'villain-ey'." he said.

Eclipsa chuckled. "At the very least, I think I can promise you that I certainly don't plan on resorting to 'villain-ey' behavior in the near future... Not unless I have to, of course." she said.

With that, Eclispa flashed Marco a mischevious grin, before reaching out and playfully tussling Marco's hair. Then, all of sudden, she paused. "Oh! That reminds me... You probably want to put on some clothes before Star arrives... Correct? Unless of course, you'd rather reunite while wearing only briefs..." she said.

Marco blinked a few times, and then looked down to find his bare chest on display for all to see. With a high pitched gasp, Marco quickly grabbed his bedsheets and pulled them up to cover himself. "Sorry..." he muttered, cheeks lightly flushed. "I, uh... I didn't notice...

Eclipsa smiled. "Now, now- It's nothing to fret over." she said. "I only bring it up, because I thought you might like a little help with getting dressed..."

Marco's eyes widened at the suggestion, and the pink hue in his cheeks quickly brightened. "Uh- What-... What do you mean?" he sputtered.

Eclipsa brought her hand to her mouth a gave a soft giggle. "Oh, not like _that_ , Marco... Like _this_." she said, as she snapped her fingers. All of a sudden, a thin wisp of dark purple smoke appeared in the air and quickly wrapped itself around Marco's entire body. Marco gasped, as the smoke slowly tightened itself around him, before suddenly dissipating. Leaving him fully dressed. As usual, he found himself wearing a hoodie with a shirt underneath, along with long pants. Marco quietly wriggled his toes and realized that he was even wearing shoes and socks.

The clothes were a perfect fit, and they were almost a perfect match for the clothes that he usually wore. However, there was an odd difference. Which was that for some reason, the colors of his goodie and his undershirt had been switched. Now, he was wearing a grey hoodie with a red shirt underneath.

Marco stared down at his new hoodie for a moment and blinked. "...Huh." he muttered. "...Thanks, Eclipsa."

"Think nothing of it, Marco." said Eclipsa with a soft smile. "..Well, then... I suppose it's time I joined the others... Before they get themselves lost trying to find the garden. ...Goodbye, Marco Diaz."

Marco smiled. "...Yeah. Goodbye, Eclipsa." he muttered.

And with that, Eclipsa left the room. Leaving an eerie silence in the air, as Marco suddenly found himself lying in bed all alone. As time slowly passed, Marco breathed a small sigh as he struggled to keep his hands from trembling ever-so-slightly. His entire body was burning with nervous energy. It was enough to make him want to start pacing around, or maybe even start breathing in a brown paper bag.

Clenching his teeth, Marco eventually decided to try and peel himself out of bed. At the very least, maybe the effort of getting up on his feet would be enough to distract him from some of the thoughts buzzing around in his head.

The process of shifting himself out of bed was slow and painful. His limbs were still stiff and sore. But over the course of the next few minutes or so, he eventually managed to shimmy his way over to the side of his bed. With his feet now hovering over the floor, Marco held his breath as he grabbed a nearby bedpost with his hand and slowly began the process of hoisting himself up on his feet.

It took a considerable amount of pain and effort. But after a few minutes of stretching and grunting, he finally managed to get himself standing up by propping himself against the bedpost. Marco breathed a small sigh as he felt his legs threaten to buckle at any moment. Clenching his teeth again, Marco took a few steps forward, doing his best to lean as much of his weight as possible on to a nearby wall.

Marco took a few deep breaths. Slowly, but surely, he could feel the stiffness in his muscles slowly begin to soften, making it a little easier to move himself around. Although no less painful.

All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. And Marco immediately felt his heart threaten to leap out of his chest. Twitching slightly, he did his best to keep himself upright as his heart fluttered with anticipation.

Star's voice emanated from the other side of the door. "Marco? I'm coming inside!" she exclaimed.

Marco felt his breath hitch in his throat as the door suddenly swung open. Star stood at the doorway covered in sweat, her hair lightly frazzled. She had been running for what felt to her like an eternity. And only as she approached Marco's room had it occurred to her that she could have used her 'Butterfly Form' to cut the journey short. Her mind had been racing ever since she had received Kelly's text. All of her thoughts were a blur. And now, as she stood there, seeing Marco on his feet and awake... Her brain seemed to simply shut down.

Marco, meanwhile, felt his heart suddenly stop. Time itself seemed to stop right along with it, as his mind went completely blank.

For a good while, Star and Marco simply stood there, wide-eyed. Staring at each other in dumbstruck awe. Words failed them both for a good amount of time.

Until, finally, Star seemed to find her voice. "...Marco..." she muttered, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke. "You're... You're awake..."

Marco blinked a few times as he struggled to force his brain back into working order. Eventually, he flashed her a small smile. "Yeah... I-" before he could finish his sentence, Star suddenly closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. In an instant, Marco felt all the air escape his lungs as his entire body seemed to go limp with shock. It was all he could go to keep his legs from giving out from under him.

All of his senses were suddenly and completely overwhelmed by her. Her warmth, her smell, the sound of her voice and the incredible emotion that flooded her brilliant blue eyes... It was enough to reduce Marco to a blushing mess.

When she finally released him from her embrace, Marco had to struggle to regain his senses. Leaning desperately against the wall, he quietly willed himself to stay upright.

Star chuckled deliriously, as she quickly wiped away the tears forming in her eyes. "Th-... Thank corn..." she muttered. "I-... I thought... I mean-... I thought a whole of stuff... But-... You're okay!... You're... You're okay..."

Marco took a slow, deep breath. "Uh-... Yeah... More or less..." he muttered. His voice cracking slightly as he spoke. Just standing there in front of Star was enough to shake him to his very core. And it took everything he had not to just stand there and start stammering and sweating the same way he once did in front of Jackie Lynn Thomas.

Doing his best to push past the sudden influx of nerves surging through his entire body, Marco slowly made his way over to his bed and sat down. Taking another deep breath, he did his best to try and think of something to say.

"...How are you?" he finally asked. His voice still cracking slightly as he spoke.

Star blinked a few times. It seemed to take her a moment to register the question, but when she finally did, she flashed him a dazzling smile. "...I'm good. I was just-... I was just going through another study session with Mom..." she said.

Marco smiled. "...That's great." he muttered. "...I'm glad you two have gotten to spend a little more time together recently..."

"...Yeah. It's been great... I know it's been tough for her to find the time... You know... Between all the 'Queenly duties', and the meetings with the Magic High Commision... But... Yeah. I-... I think... She's really worked hard... To change. And... I think she has..." said Star.

"She's already helped me a lot... And Dad's been helping me too. In his own kinda way. ...He's actually been buggin' me about going out on some kinda 'survivalist trip' down in the deepest, darkest parts of the forest... Apparently, there's some kinda giant, ancient magical creature out there that Dad's got some kinda beef with..."

Marco smiled softly and nodded along as she spoke. "...And how's everyone else?" he asked.

"...Well, Ponyhead got crowned the first official 'Multidimensional Princess of Partying' a little while ago... She had a crown with flashing, neon lights, and everything." she said. "Oh! Plus, apparently, she and Rich Pidgeon started dating a little while ago! I'm not sure exactly when it started... But Ponyhead did tell me that they've already broken her record for 'longest lasting relationship'. I think her last record was about... An hour."

"They already invited Tom and me on a couple of double dates... But... We haven't really had the time to take 'em up on that yet..." Star continued.

Marco nodded again. "...I see." he muttered. "...And how is Tom?"

Star's features brightened immediately. "Oh, he's great!" she exclaimed, with a happy grin. "He's been a ton of help, too. And not just with having fun and stuff... But... With everything else as well. He's been... Really awesome."

Marco did his best to ignore the sting of jealousy he felt pierce his chest as Star spoke about Tom. Instead, he decided to focus on something else. Tom had really come a long way since the first time they met. And it sounded like he had only gotten better. Thinking about it, Marco felt a small swell of pride for the demon prince. It seemed like Tom had truly managed to turn everything around for himself.

He was growing up. Just like Star.

Marco frowned a little, and gently bit his lip. '...And unlike me...' he thought.

Star, meanwhile, didn't seem to notice that Marco was only half paying attention. "...He even went and dredged up a bunch of old demon texts and stuff to see if there were any healing curses that'd help you heal up a little faster... Unfortunately, almost all of them would've required sacrificing your soul and stuff, so... We decided not to go with that." she said. "So instead, he helped me keep an eye on you while you were sleeping... One time, he spent a whole night hovering over you, with his eyes wide open... Staring at your sleeping face. It was really sweet."

Marco quietly shuddered as the image of Tom staring down at him with three bloodshot eyes suddenly flashed before his eyes. "I see..." he muttered. "...That's not disturbing in the _least_..."

Star gave a light chuckle. "Yeah... But in his defense, it was mostly _my_ idea..." she said.

The conversation quickly trailed off into an awkward silence. Time passed by slowly as Star struggled to think of what to say next, and Marco simply stared off into space. Doing his very best to keep a level head as a storm of emotions raged on inside of him.

Eventually, Star broke the silence between them with a quiet voice. "...We-... We need to talk..." she muttered.

Marco gave a small nod but didn't say anything.

Star frowned a little. "...Why... Why did you go and fight that Jerky guy by yourself?" she asked, her voice slowly growing more determined as she spoke. "Why didn't you come find me? That guy... He hurt one of the Buff Babies for corn's sake! I would've dropped everything to make sure that guy was punished! You-... You _have_ to know that! But-... But instead, you went off and got into a fight all by yourself! And-... And you could've _died_ , Marco!"

"...I didn't go alone. ...Kelly went with me. ...Besides-... I-... I wanted to talk to that guy as soon as possible. I-... I didn't wanna wait." muttered Marco.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean!? You couldn't stop for just a second to call me or something? I mean- You have _dimensional scissors_! If you'd just tried, you could've gone to face off with that guy with me _and_ with Tom! But instead... You went and got into a big, dumb fight!" Star exclaimed. "That's-... I mean... It's not like you, Marco! Aren't you the one who always told me to _think_ before I _act_? Why couldn't you just follow your own advice? Maybe then you wouldn't have gotten beaten into a coma for four days!"

Marco breathed a heavy sigh and slumped his shoulders. "...You're right." he muttered. "...I-... I wasn't thinking super clearly. And I just... I-..." Marco trailed off for a moment, as he struggled to find the right words to describe his feelings that night. Eventually, he relented with another heavy sigh. "...I made a mistake. I-... I was angry... And stupid. I just... I wanted to prove something... To the Buff Kids... And-... And to myself. ...Unfortunately, in the end... I-... I failed. I got myself beaten up, and... Accomplished nothing."

Star blinked rapidly, having been caught completely off guard. The initial frustration that had been evident in her features quickly dissipated. "...I-... I mean... You did accomplish something..." she muttered. Her voice quiet and mildly confused. "...You brought down a really awful, powerful person... I mean-... From what I heard, afterward... He-... He'd been terrorizing monsters for a very long time. And encouraging others to do the same..."

"...Yeah, but... I'm sure there would've been a way to stop that guy without getting myself hurt. I mean... Even if I'd done nothing... Even if he never hurt Anastasia, and he never popped up on my radar... You would've found out about him eventually. And... Even if it took a little time, I know you would've stopped him yourself. And you would've done it without getting beat up, I'm sure..." said Marco.

"What-... I mean... Why-... Why are you talking like that Marco?" muttered Star, her confusion evident on her face. "...That's not-... I mean... There's no way to know what would've happened if you hadn't done what you did... That doesn't make it right- but... It's not like it makes it _super_ wrong..."

Marco breathed another sigh. "...Yeah..." he muttered. "...I guess... I have. For better or for worse... I'm not really sure."

Star stared at him for a moment, as she seemed to struggle to comprehend what was going on. She hadn't expected the conversation to go this way. She had been planning to confront him about his behavior. And his decision not to include her in confronting the Jerk Knight. She had been thinking about how the conversation might go for a while. She imagined reprimanding him, and maybe even having the confrontation spiral into an argument. The last thing she expected was to find herself defending his actions.

As she stared at Marco's face, noticing his downcast eyes... It suddenly struck her how different Marco seemed. Physically, he had obviously grown quite a bit since she had first met him. His shoulders had subtly broadened and he was a fair amount taller. His hair had grown out a bit and looked rather scruffy. It was far less well-groomed than it once was. The addition of the scar across his eye and the grey colored hoodie made him look vastly different.

But more than that... He just... _Felt_ different. Something about his personality had changed. And she hadn't really noticed it until now. But now that she saw it, it seemed overwhelmingly obvious.

The Marco from her memories... The Marco from back in Echo Creek... Was gone. Replaced by a sadder, more gloomy version of himself.

As she struggled to come to grips with this sudden realization, she found herself speaking without really meaning to.

"...You-... You've changed." she muttered.

Marco flinched a little and frowned. "...Yeah." he muttered.

Star continued to stare at him, feeling tears begin to sting at her eyes. "I-... I didn't... I mean-..." she muttered, as she suddenly found herself struggling to speak in full sentences. Taking a slow, deep breath, she did her best to calm herself. "...It's-... It's all my fault... Isn't it..." she muttered.

Marco's frown deepened. "Of course not." he said. "I'm the one who's responsible for who I am. Not you, or anyone else."

Star slowly shook her head. "No-... No, I-... I..." she muttered as emotion seemed to rob her of her voice.

Marco breathed a long sigh. Turning his gaze to his side, he noticed both his cape and his dimensional scissors lying in a small pile at the foot of his bed. Marco gave a small grunt as he slowly shifted himself back to his feet, and walked over to the foot of his bed to retrieve them both. Holding the cape in one hand and his dimensional scissors in the other, Marco paused for a moment as he seemed to lose himself in thought.

Finally, he took a deep breath and clenched his teeth. His heart sank as he quietly closed his eyes and gave himself a small nod.

Now was the time. The time to tell her the truth. No matter how much it hurt... He couldn't let things go on like this anymore.  
"...Star." he muttered, his voice cracking yet again as he struggled to speak through the lump forming in his throat. "...I have to tell you something."

Star looked up at him with sad, confused eyes. And in that moment, he yearned desperately to lie. To say anything else. Anything. As long as it let him see that familiar spark of joy in her eyes again... One last time.

But he couldn't. He had to face the truth. No matter how painful it was. For both of them.

"...This... This was a mistake, Star." he said. "...Coming here... Becoming your Squire... All of it. It was all... One big, terrible mistake. And-... And it's all my fault."

Star blinked, and a single tear ran down her cheek. Her entire body was swirling with such powerful emotions... That for a moment, it seemed to make her go numb. "...What... What're you talking about?" she muttered, her tone barely above a whisper.

Marco drew another deep breath, as he quietly pushed himself to say what needed to be said. "I-... I came here... Hoping that things could be like they once were... But they can't. You made the right decision... And tried to move on. And instead of trying to do that myself... I just butted back into your life..." he said, his voice now trembling slightly as he spoke. "...I-... I wanted... To try... And be your friend again. But... You didn't have room in your life for me anymore... And-... And I should've just... Accepted that. ...You-... You made the effort... To try and fit me into your new life... By making me your Squire. ...And I shouldn't have-... I shouldn't have agreed. I should have left. Instead of just... Hanging around... Being completely useless... And just-... Making myself miserable."

Star drew a sharp breath and quickly shook her head. "...That's-... That's not true! You-... You are not _useless_!" she exclaimed.

Marco gave her a small, sad smile. "...Yes, I am. I don't have a place here, Star. I don't belong on Mewni... And I don't belong in your life. ...Not anymore." he said. "...You-... You've outgrown me, Star."

Star suddenly grit her teeth and leaped forward. Grabbing Marco by the front of his hoodie and pulling him down to meet her gaze. Her eyes were filled with an intense mixture of rage and determination. "That's not true!" she exclaimed, raising her voice to a near deafening bellow.

Marco met her determined gaze with one of his own. "It is true, Star." he said. "...And-... I just... I can't keep doing this. I can't-... I can't be your Squire anymore. I can't keep pretending I have a place here... When I don't."

Star's features began to tremble, as tears began to pour down her cheeks. Looking downward, she slowly moved forward, gently pressing her forehead against Marco's chest. "...Marco... You... You do have a place here..." she muttered. "...I-... I'm sorry... If I made you feel like you don't... Please... _Please_... Don't... Don't go..."

Marco felt the grip he had on his cape and his dimensional scissors slowly loosen. Seeing Star tremble that way... Hearing the visceral desperation in her voice... At that moment, he was overwhelmed by a powerful urge to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. Marco drew a shaky breath, and slowly closed his eyes. Allowing the tears that had been stinging his eyes to finally come sliding down his face.

Drawing another long, shaky breath, Marco slowly loosened his grip on his cape until it finally fell to the floor. Then, he slowly reached up with his newly free hand and Star's hand. She was still holding him by the front of his hoodie. Desperately clinging to him. When his hand touched hers, she felt a sudden jolt of electricity run through her entire body.

"...Star. Your... You're amazing. And your only going to become more and more incredible. I know it. You're the strongest person I've ever known. And you-... You've inspired me in ways... I can't even describe. You made me feel stronger... And cooler... Than I ever really was." said Marco. "...You changed my life. You... You made it weirder... And wilder... And-... And I'll never be able to thank you quite enough... And-... And I know... It's painful... A-and... Unfair... But... I need you... To let me go."

"I-... I want to be a better person... I want... I want to grow. And-... And I just can't do that here." Marco continued. "...I've given it a lot of thought. And... I decided... Even before I got myself beat up and stuff... That I needed... To go back to Earth. Back... To my home. And try... To start growing up. And embrace who I really am and where I belong. Just like you have."

Star kept her gaze trained on the floor, her hair falling over her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. With a slight sniffle, she slowly loosened her grip on his hoodie. Her hands trembling as she slowly brought them to her side.

"...Thank you, Star." said Marco.

With that, he slowly stepped away from her, turned around, and opened a portal with his dimensional scissors. Upon hearing the familiar ripping sound of a portal being opened, Star flinched and clenched her teeth.

This was really happening...

She had nightmares about this. More than once.

Marco was leaving.

"WAIT!" bellowed Star. Her sudden outburst caused Marco to come perilously close to tumbling over backward. Her voice was so powerful that it seemed to make the entire room tremble around them.

Marco froze, standing in front of the portal. His back facing Star as he stared into the glowing rift in space.

"What-... What... What's going on, Marco!?" exclaimed Star. "You-... Why are you doing this!? Don't you tell me that it's about 'growing up' or 'moving on', because I know it's not! Tell me the real reason!"

Marco breathed a long sigh, as he slowly lowered his head. "...That is the reason, Star. I'm not lying." he said. "...I don't belong here. All I'm doing... Is wasting time. Time that would've been better spent... Going to school. And trying to find a place for myself... In my dimension. On Earth."

"Don't give me that! Even if-" Star's bellowing voice was cut off, as she suddenly found herself choking on a heavy sob. Drawing a deep breath, she did her best to shake it off. "...Even if that's the truth... Even if that's how you really feel... You-... You're still holding something back. I know it. You-... You've been doing it... Ever since you came here. I-... I didn't wanna ask... Because... Because I thought maybe... You'd tell me when you were ready. Or-... Or maybe... I was just... Afraid... Of what it might be..."

"...What is it, Marco? ...Please. Just stop... Turn around... And tell me. A-and... I'll help fix it... I promise." she continued, her trembling voice slowly growing ever quieter as she spoke. "...What-... What did I do? I-... I hurt you... Didn't I? ...Please. Just tell me... I-... I know... It's my fault. It has to be. ...I messed things up again... Didn't I?"

Marco closed his eyes and breathed. As he turned to face her, the blue glow of the portal made shadows and sparks dance around his frame, as his features were lit with a brilliant glow.

Star and Marco's eyes met once again. Tears streaming slowly down both their faces.

Marco gave her a soft smile. "...I promise you, Star. It's not your fault. I'm the one who put myself in this situation. ...Even with the help of my friends... I could never quite claw my way out... Things only seemed to get worse. ...And eventually, I reached the tipping point... Without even knowing." he said. "That's on me. No one else. ...It's my responsibility. ...And... It's also my responsibility... To start moving forward. ...And I think-... This is the first step I need to take."

Star clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists. "...Marco. I know there's something you're still not telling me. I can see it in your eyes." she said. "...Please. You need... No... We _both_ need you... To tell me."

Marco stared at her for a moment and then gave her a small nod.

"...I'm... I'm in love with you, Star. I have been... For a while. And when I first came here, I kinda... I-... I hoped..." Marco trailed and grimaced at the surge of pain clawing at him from inside his chest. "...I wanted... To try... And-... And start... Something else... B-but... You... Like I said... You made th-the right... Decision. You moved on. And now... It's my turn."

With that, Marco turned around to face the portal once more.

"...Goodbye, Star. ...I-... I love you. And I believe in you." he said. "...Don't ever forget that."

And finally, he stepped through the portal. And he was gone.

As the portal disappeared in front of her, Star felt her legs go weak. Stumbling forward, she noticed Marco's cape lying on the floor in front of her. Everything around her seemed to spin out of control. With tears still streaming down her face, she slowly reached down and picked up the cape.

Time passed by as she quietly stared at the cape.

It would take quite some time for her to fully register what had just happened. And even longer for her to start coming to grips with the sudden revelation from Marco. When she did, she would crumple up to the floor to sob painfully and cry. But for now, she simply stared at the cape.

Feeling numb... And alone.

Eventually, found her voice. Mere moments before the weight of everything that had just happened came crashing over her in full... And reduce her to a sobbing mess... She whispered something under her breath.

"...Goodbye... Marco..."

* * *

Marco Diaz stepped out of the portal quietly rubbing his face with his sleeve. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he found himself standing in front of the Diaz household.

As he stood there, he struggled to calm himself down. His features were still lightly trembling with intense emotion. Finally, he closed his eyes and breathed. And as he did, he felt a weight slowly leave his chest.

After meeting up with his parents, and breaking the news that his who 'living on Mewni' idea hadn't worked out... He would do his best to put on a brave face, and answer their questions as honestly as he could. And once he had recovered from all that... He might just go back to his bedroom and go to sleep for a while.

Tomorrow... He would visit the Buff Family again. And Kelly. Because even though he had decided to let go of Star and Mewni... He wasn't going to let go of them. Although it might be harder to hang out with them now... Especially when he started going back to school... He promised himself that he would keep in touch.

But as for Star... It was over.

It had to be.

It would be too hard to see her now... Especially now that she knew the truth.

Marco took another deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. After taking a moment to stand there, quietly enjoying the familiar, Earthly breeze on his face, he opened his eyes and looked ahead with determination in his eyes.

And with that, Marco approached the door to the Diaz household. Doing his best to ignore the pain involved in moving his bruised, aching frame. Opening the door, he found his parents sitting on the couch in front of the TV. As they so often were. His father was clapping along to something on TV, while his mother quietly rested her hands on her very pregnant stomach.

When they noticed Marco standing at the door. Their initial reaction was of surprise and joy at seeing their son. But very quickly, those reactions faded away. Replaced with looks of concern.

Marco greeted them with a weak smile.

"...Hey..." he muttered.

"...I'm home."

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

( **AN** : ...So. Writing this... Was a total nightmare. *oof*. * _oof_ *, I say. And... It probably needed to be split into two parts. And... I probably should have tried harder to bring in some kind of action... ((I have a laundry list of other frustrations and regrets, but I think I'd better cut that short.))

Anyway- sorry for taking so long. As usual, I really want to thank anyone who was kind enough to read this story and leave a review. It means a great deal to me.

There's a ton more I could say here, but I'd really rather just keep this thing short. Before I go, though, I will mention that as usual, I owe _**robertkellett** _a tremendous debt for being willing to help me out with this crazy story. And with this chapter in particular, which was... Challenging. To say the least. Check out his new story, ' **A Bond Between Friends** '.)

( **PS** : As an extra thank you to all the people who've read this story so far... I wrote an extra little scene below. It's nothing too important, but it might be kinda fun to see for some people. If you've had enough already, then as always, thank you for reading. And I wish you all the best.)

* * *

 _Somewhere in the deepest pits of darkness, long tendrils covered in eyes and teeth slowly writhed amongst themselves in one enormous mass. The voice of the Monster Arm thundered throughout the endless void._

 _" **...Hmph. It looks like he's determined to keep struggling...** "_

 _" **...No matter. Someday... I shall have control. All I need to do... Is bide my time. Eventually... An opportunity shall arise for me... To take what is mine.** "_

 _" **This place... It will not be my prison for much longer.** "_

 _The Monster Arm let out a long, evil cackle. Thousands of long, slimy appendages quivered along as it laughed._

 _"_ Aw... Monster Arm is scared that he might be losing his grip on Marcooo... _"_

 _The Monster Arm suddenly froze at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Twisting itself around, it looked all over with it's many, many eyes. Eventually, it found what appeared to be a small human head with slicked back hair poking out of one of the tentacles._

 _" **What-... What are you?** " growled the Monster Arm._

 _"_ Hmm? Oh, I'm the Nay-saya! ...I'm a lil' ol' demon curse that Marco picked up a while ago... _" said the tiny head. "B_ ut... I was kinda... I dunno- What's the word? ...Dormant. But... Somethin' musta happened to 'activate' me. Only... I guess it didn't fully work for some reason. So, somehow... I wound up here... _"_

 _" **What- How?** " sputtered the Monster Arm._

 _"_ I dunno. But hey- what do the details matter? What really matters, is we're fused together forever now! Hey! While I'm here, wanna play some charades? I'm really good at it _." said Naysaya._

 _Monster Arm seemed to twitch all over. Very quickly it moved one of its massive tendrils over to the spot where Naysaya's head was sticking out. And, all of a sudden, one of the large mouths on the tendril opened up. Revealing row after row of jagged, razor-sharp teeth._

 _Without so much as a second thought, the mouth bit down on Naysaya and violently ripped him away. Naysaya gave a muffled scream as he was suddenly torn out of it's spot, chewed up, and then spit out._

 _Monster Arm breathed a small sigh._

 _And then... From the spot where he had just plucked the first 'Naysaya'... Two more suddenly popped up._

 _"_ Twinsies! _" exclaimed the Naysaya's._

 _The Monster Arm quickly chomped away the twin Naysaya's- only to have four more suddenly take it's place._

 _As the Naysaya's began loudly chatting amongst themselves, the Monster Arm screamed. Every mouth on the long collection of tentacles that made up its body opened up to scream at the same time._

 _"_ Aw... Monster Arm thinks he might actually be a subpar villain... _"_

 _"_ And- Also... He doesn't really like 'bowels'. He only said that to sound cool. What he really like... Are livers! _"_

 _"_ Monster Arm's also afraid that, in the grand scheme of things, he might not really matter as much as he wants to. _"_

 _"_...Yeah. And he's really sad that Marco doesn't seem to be scared of him anymore... _"_

 _The Monster Arm breathed a heavy, defeated sigh as the Naysay's continued to chatter for what seemed like an eternity. All of a sudden, the void had gotten a whole lot more crowded. And now, it was beginning to seem a little less like a prison... And whole lot more like a hell._


End file.
